MattMello - Dead Note
by AkatsukiMemberWoolfy
Summary: The apocalypse threatens the world and Fleshlings roam the darkest shadows. Mello's predecessor has been taken by the man responsible, and now he needs help to rescue him. With only one man willing to fight by his side, will he be able to save the world after all? Can he even trust this strange man by the name of Matt or will he find himself falling right into the hands of Kira...?
1. The Facility

Dead Note

AkatsukiMemberWoolfy

MattMello

Chapter 1

The Human whose name is written in this notebook shall hunger for flesh.

...

A shadow crept through the darkness of the night, gun in hand and sharp eyes glancing in all directions. They were out there, watching him as he neared the Facility in the centre of the city, the hordes of walking flesh that had overtaken the world. All too easily, they had managed to mould it into a paradise of deformity. The apocalypse had come and gone, and the human race was dwindling day by day. Hope was lost.

That was why he needed help. That was why he sought out the Facility, even though he had been warned to never undertake such a journey. However, he no longer had a choice in the matter. He needed help and the Facility was the only place that could offer any assistance in this tattered world of terror. The Fleshlings had killed his group and had taken his superior, the man he had come to view as a father, and now he was the only one left.

The man who crept through the shadows was in his early twenties and possessed the sharp eyes of a killer. Not a murderer of man, but a killer even so. A hood covered his face as he slunk through darkness, but the hint of blonde tresses occasionally swung from below the black faux fur that lined the leather. The gun in his hand was an AK-47, and had the appearance of being well worn. It was a weapon from before the Fleshing rise, with enough stocked ammo to last a lifetime of this lifestyle.

He could feel the eyes glued to him as his scent caught the attention of the stalkers. Even though he could not see them, the blonde could hear them in the false solitude of night as they grew ever closer. Those idiots! Why would they allow such masses of Fleshlings to be this close to the Facility?

Red eyes were finally in sight; the first of hundreds. Crap! The blonde broke into a run, his hood flying off of his face as he bolted at top speeds. A horrific scar covered half of his rough face, descending across his neck and disappearing beneath the cover of clothing.

The screams caught his ears, the wails of the dead that haunted this land. They were after him, blinded by hunger. His father may have been taken alive to the base of their master, but he would not be of any value to them except as a delicious meal. He turned and fired into the darkness wherever he thought he saw movement or the faint glow of red glints.

Death yowls filled the air as he gunned down a mass of the mob but there were masses more where the first had come from. Shit! He turned ahead once again and continued to run, knowing that flight was the only option he had that could possibly end in life.

-o-

The darkness was void of movement...as per usual. Smoke trailed from the cigarette the man held in his mouth as he stared through the orange tinted goggles that he had worn for years. At his belt was a simple SR-22 pistol for defence. If a horde really did appear, all he would need to do was to press the alarm and he would be able to escape. The pistol made him feel a tad stronger, however, in the case of a surprise attack.

His thumbs itched and his mind was elsewhere. He had been banned from playing his handheld console during watch long ago, and he had deemed the night of his watch as the worst part of each month. At least he could still smoke while on watch, but even that was of little comfort for him tonight. There was an unspeakable chill in the winter's air.

He pulled his tan jacket closer as he leaned against the cold steel wall of the Facility, running a hand through his blood red hair. Beneath orange goggles, a pair of large eyes stared into the deep depths of the dark, searching for something beyond solitude.

Nothing as of yet...No, what was he thinking? There was no excitement to be found in this night of all nights! So then, why was he so tense? The Fleshlings had kept back beyond the beams of the search lights that scorched a perimeter around the Facility. The narrow bridge that connected the world of the living and the world of the undead was narrow and empty of all but the red head.

Yes, those noises he had heard earlier, the sounds that he had mistaken for distant gunshots, they had been nothing more than his imagination. Hallucinations of sight and sound were not uncommon for watchers during the cold nights of solitude, and the red head was just thankful that he only had to watch one night a month. One of his colleagues watched once a week, though he was a strange one who found peace in the night and its illusions.

The king did not particularly like the red head, but he knew better than to force the slacker into doing something that he disliked. After all, the slacker was actually very important to the Facility, for the slacker was a hacker. Even before the Fall five years ago he had been a prodigy, but now he was twenty and a master. All of the technology in the Facility was running because of him and his fondness for machinery. So he only worked one night a month actually doing something he hated out on the border between the light and the dark, while the rest of his time was reserved for activities he loved. Even the work he did outside of watching was pleasant for him.

"DON'T SHOOT!" The strange voice cracked the silence of the dark night like thunder and lightning. What? The red head jolted forward off the wall as a figure burst through the intangible barrier between the darkness and the light. "I'M HUMAN! DON'T SHOOT!"

Although it was obvious by his movements that the stranger was indeed human, the red head drew his pistol nevertheless. Strangers did not just turn up out of nowhere these days. His fist hit the emergency button before he even realised he was doing it. The bridge trembled and began to separate.

The stranger noticed the gap forming ahead of them and they noticed the deadly bloodied spikes that lined the moat surrounding the Facility. They did not stop running. The red head stared in shock as the stranger picked up pace and threw themselves forward at the last possible second. The red head watched in awe as the figure flung themself through the air, almost reaching the other side...but not quite.

The stranger missed the platform and the hacker watched as he disappeared into the gap...Were they dead?

He crept forward slowly and spied over the edge, eyes widening behind his goggled gaze. The stranger was clinging to the edge of the platform, using all of their strength to keep himself from falling onto the spikes below. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The blonde's face was screwed up in suffering, teeth clenched tightly together. "HELP ME, YOU IDIOT!"

-o-

The blonde's grip was slipping and his arms were aching from carrying not only his own weight, but also the weight of his supplies. "WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?"

The stranger with the orange alien eyes stared down at him, with a cigarette half hanging out of his gaping mouth. "...I can't..." The red head's voice was clearly unsure and the blonde was stunned. Had he really come all this way just to die...?

His hand slipped. Then he was falling. He opened his eyes wide and stared up at the blinding light.

He stopped unexpectedly in midair. A hand had grabbed him by the wrist and was currently keeping him was falling. The one who had taken hold of him was clearly not as strong as either of them had hoped, for the blonde felt them both slowly sliding deeper into the pit. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"I'm trying!" The voice grunted and slowly the blonde felt the man gradually drawing him from the pit of death. "You're not exactly a feather!"

The blonde grabbed onto the ledge with his free hand and with the help of the idiot he managed to scramble onto the metal platform, landing between the man's legs. They were both panting from adrenaline and exertion. Before either of them could say anything, the sound of yowling filled the crisp night air.

Both stranger and stranger turned to see beyond the yawning gap of the moat, to the end of the spotlights reach. In the darkness lurked red glowing eyes, staring with both bloodlust and frustration at the loss of their prey. More yowls followed the first and one creature dared to step into the light.

Fleshlings: a human turned zombie with an insatiable taste for fresh meat.

The monster yowled, sagging dead flesh hanging half off the once mortal countenance. The zombie woman lurched forward mindlessly, falling into the moat and onto the bloodied spikes below. Rabid canines burst out of their den at the scent of dying flesh, and the beasts began to tear and rip at the living corpse while it was still moving.

The blonde flinched and looked away from the fate he had escaped so slimly. Instead, he turned to the man who had both saved him and almost killed him. The lights of the Facility still blinded his sensitive icy eyes and he had to look away from the strange man and his alien-orbs.

"Matt, are you okay?"

-o-

The red heard turned to see the steel door opening, with a group of three soldiers armed to their teeth stepping out. It could only be Gevanni, Rester and Lidner. The woman was the one who had addressed him and he nodded slowly. "Yeah...I think I am..."

Suddenly he felt a pain in his cheek and he was oblivious of its origin for a few moments, until the stranger suddenly spoke in a deep ominous growl. "Dumbass...You almost got us both killed!" Had he really just been slapped?

There were several clicks from the agents and all three soldiers had their guns targeted at the blonde, having not noticed him until then. "It's okay!" Matt quickly spun around to face the soldiers, hands in the air as he stood between the guns and the blonde. "He's human! I think the lights are just blinding him."

"No shit, Sherlock, I can't fucking see with high beams staring me right in the face!" The blonde got to his feet and shoved the red head to the side roughly, glaring at the three guards through the blaze of light. "I am here to see that fat-head Near. He knows who I am; tell him that Mello needs to see him."

"You are not going any further until you surrender all weaponry to us." Rester stepped forward, gun still aimed at the snarky blonde, prepared to shoot at a moments notice.

Mello bit his lip but nodded, pulling the AK-47 from his back and offering it to the red head roughly. "Only if this bitch holds onto it and is the only one to touch my stuff." Matt blinked in surprise and looked to Rester for approval, which was given in the form of a nod. The red head took the gun by the strap and pulled it onto his back while he looked the blonde up and down, finally taking a good stare at him. He wore a leather jacket with faux fur lining, along with leather pants and a pair of boots that looked both worn and durable. A fresh scar covered half his face and his eyes were squinted due to the sharp light of the perimeter. He wore a backpack, or at least he _had_ been since now he was offering it to Matt. "I won't be staying long, you can count on that." Mello suddenly turned to glare at the red head, icy eyes piercing through his orange goggles. "If I find any of my supplies missing or tampered with, then I will push you into this fancy moat you have around here. Got that?"

Matt swallowed and nodded just as the rabid dogs snarled an unsettling howl, sending a chill up his spine. He certainly didn't want to piss off this guy...

"You may have hidden weapons on your person." Gevanni was clearly the most restless of the three guards, and Matt could practically sense the sweat running down his face. "Take off your shoes and we will perform a search."

"Oh my god!" Mello groaned loudly and unzipped his jacket, "Do you want me to just get naked or something? Full body cavity search while you're at it?" He pulled a pistol from the back of his pants and drew a small knife from his boot as he took his shoes off, handing both weapons to the red head. Matt fumbled a little before managing to stash both knife and gun in the blonde's confiscated backpack. "That is all of my weapons. Now could we at least perform the search inside? I'm not used to lights this intense."

"Matt, pet him down." Lidner straightened up and put her own weapons away, but the two male soldiers kept theirs aimed at Mello. "Make sure he doesn't have anything and then we can go inside. Matt, you can remain with us and we can put Mido on watch duty for the rest of the night. I'm sure our guest would feel more comfortable if his possessions were in sight at all times. We will be sure to scan him and his things properly before he gets close to Near."

Matt nodded begrudgingly and stepped in front of the blonde. He had never had to pet someone down before and he could feel the responsibility weighing on him all of a sudden. Why couldn't this man just leave his possessions with someone else or something? He hated to be dragged into things unwillingly...

The red head crouched down and began to feel his way up the blonde's inner legs, deeming them the best place to start his search. He managed to keep his mind on professional thoughts as he began to pet the man's inner thighs for weapons. Matt could feel the blonde tense up at his touch but he made no verbal remarks as the red head continued to search him. Matt moved his hands to the sides of the boy's legs, running his palms along the soft leather from ankles to waist. Nothing yet...

He slid his hands around to pat the man's leather-clad ass, feeling him up indifferently. "Stop enjoying yourself so much." The blonde glared at him accusingly and Matt just ignored the comment as he continued to search him for weapons. He slipped his hands into Mello's open jacket, feeling along the leather vest he wore beneath. A necklace with a crucifix at its end was graced around his neck and the red head decided it wasn't of any importance.

For a last measure he began to pet around the blonde's pockets, letting out a drag of smoke from his cigarette once he felt a weight in the boy's pocket. He slid his hand into the clothing and pulled out a strange rectangular object that he didn't recognise at first. "What's this?"

"It's mine." The blonde snatched it from his grasp, glaring at him darkly. "I really don't consider chocolate as a weapon." Mello ripped the foil off and revealed that it really was just a bar of chocolate. He even snapped off a piece with his teeth and chewed it roughly, as if to demonstrate its lack of poison. "You going to confiscate confectionary now? You've already got my entire life in that bag you're holding."

Matt frowned and turned to the three agents, who all were quiet for a few moments. Lidner was the one who finally nodded, "You may keep the chocolate."

"Good." He snapped off another piece and straightened up his stance. "Now could we please get out of these blinding lights? My vision will never be the same ever again." Matt stepped aside and so did the three soldiers.

"Yes," Rester gestured to the open doorway that led into the Facility, "I will lead the way." Mello nodded and Matt spied Mido waiting curiously beyond the steel wall, clearly wishing to know what was happening. "Come on, I have already sent a message to Near about your arrival via my WMS." His 'Wireless Messenger Service', a device that Matt had designed himself.

"Whatever. Let's just go already."

-o-

His eyes still burnt from the outer lights, but at least the inside of the Facility was dim enough to see clearly. The three guards surrounded him, and the idiot was by his side as they were led through the maze-like corridors of the Facility. Mello had seen a few people walking around as well, but he guessed that most were asleep at this time of night. He turned to glance at the man known as 'Matt', looking him up and down critically.

He had red hair that was neither neat, nor was it messy. Matt wore a cream sleeveless vest with fur trim, along with a loose fitting white and black shirt with baggy blue jeans. Cargo boots graced his feet, thick black gloves coloured his hands, and a trademark cigarette hung from his lips as he looked ahead as they continued walking. What Mello had firstly mistaken for alien-eyes in his blinded state was in fact a pair of orange-tinted goggles that covered the man's eyes audaciously.

Despite his willingness to let the man hold onto his equipment, he did not trust him one bit. At least the man hadn't been waving a gun in his face like the others, but that could have been all the more reason to distrust him. Certainly not the cautious type, but if he hadn't been so cocky then he may not have decided to save Mello from his descent into death earlier. The three soldiers certainly wouldn't have saved him.

Matt...

"Are we almost there?" Mello glared at the back of the commander's head, snapping another piece of chocolate off. It was his last bar, so he would have to stock up if at all possible. "We've been walking for ages."

"We're almost there." The female soldier was the one who answered him, and Mello just sighed in irritation. Never a straight answer from people like this! No wonder L had warned him never to come here. But Mello needed help if he was to rescue his 'father', and this was the only place he knew with a stock of living humans. "Be patient."

"Oh I'm sorry," he spoke with heavy sarcasm and glared darker in all directions, "I _should _be more patient! I mean, my father has only been kidnapped by-..." Mello managed to cut himself off with a growl, shaking his head. "No, I have to tell Near who kidnapped him. He will understand the severity of the situation."

It really hurt Mello's ego to seek help from Near, but he had no choice this time. The albino had people to spare and Mello knew the location of L's kidnapper. The man who had started this apocalypse...Kira.

Mello knew where he was, and he knew that he needed to save L if this apocalypse was ever to end in victory for the human race. Near was wrong; this Facility was not victory. It was a prison to cage the remainders of human kind, the losers of the game between the people and the Fleshlings.

-o-

"We're here." Rester stopped and looked directly at Mello, standing tall in front of the solid steel door. "Near is in the room just beyond this one."

"Finally!" Mello groaned and took a step forward, "Now get out of my way. I have to see that twit ASAP." Matt and the nsoldiers were genuinely shocked when the blonde shoved Rester aside without a hint of hesitation. "NEAR!" Mello banged loudly on the door with his leather-gloved hands, "OPEN UP, DUMBSHIT!"

The room was intensely silent, and all except for the blonde were shocked when the shiny door suddenly slid open automatically. Mello walked in without a glance back and the four others followed him inside cautiously, Gevanni and Rester with their guns still drawn. Lidner on the other hand seemed amused by the boy's determination, while Matt was just curious about his goal.

The red head's eyes widened in surprise as he spied the figure that sat in the centre of the monitor-filled room, feeling a gasp escape his mouth. This was N?

Matt had never had the opportunity to see the king of the Facility previously, and he was nothing like he had imagined. A young man sat in front of a castle of cards, twirling a lock of albino hair between his fingers. He wore white pyjamas and seemed far more preoccupied by his cards than the group of people who had just intruded on his domain.

"Hello M, it is good to see you again." The albino placed another card on top of the castle cautiously, still far too focused in his play to comprehend the gravity of the situation. "It has been a while since we last met. How is L?"

"He's been taken." Near was still for a few moments before he moved to place another card on top of the tower. "Our camp was raided by a group of Fleshlings. We were betrayed by one of our own members who turned out to be a spy for Kira. The others were killed and devoured while L was kidnapped by the horde. Someone must have been controlling the Fleshlings; they must have been under direct orders, or else they would not have been so keen to take L away alive." Mello clenched his fists and scowled darkly, "It turned out that Neylon was a traitor for Kira, and he intentionally left a portion of our defences unprotected to give the Fleshlings a chance to break through. They ate him along with the others, and I barely managed to escape myself..."

Near picked up another card, but seemed to think deeply over where he was going to place it. "So you are saying that Kira can not only control Fleshlings...but that he can also control people?"

"Yes, but he must only be able to control people to an extent. L and I both noticed that Neylon was grimmer than usual on the night of the attack, but he could not tell us anything of value. Kira must have controlled him to screw up on the defences and the only thing he could do to warn us was through his emotions." Mello bit off another piece of chocolate, the sneer still straining his scarred face. "I was forced to blow up our hideout to escape. L and the Fleshlings that took him had long since been gone by then, and my only option was to come here." He finished off the chocolate and dropped the wrapper carelessly on the ground, and for a moment Matt felt inclined to pick up the litter. "Don't misunderstand me, Near. I loath you more than anything, but I know that I can't rescue L by myself."

"How long ago was he captured?" Near placed the card down at last and the castle wobbled, but at least it remained standing.

Mello seemed to hesitate for a moment and he looked away from the albino while he spoke, "...A week...I was caught in the explosion I used to wipe out the attacking Fleshlings. I'm sure you noticed, even without looking at me."

As if on cue, the albino turned his head to glance at the group at last. Matt stared at his face, blinking in surprise. His eyes were large and dark, while his complexion was without blemish. He looked even younger than the red head had guessed. "I see. Mello, what leads you to believe that L is still alive at this point in time?"

"...What?" Mello stared in shock and took a firm step forward, unnerving the three soldiers with the sudden action. "OF COURSE HE IS STILL ALIVE! THIS IS L WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"Why would Kira want him to be captured alive?" Near turned back to his cards and he carefully placed a two of hearts onto the smallest level of the castle. "Surely Kira wants him dead."

"As if I know!" Mello glared in frustration, clearly not prepared for these sorts of questions. "I managed to see the direction that the Fleshlings were taking L. They must have been taking him to Kira's lair! If I get enough people we will be able to find his base and kill him! Perhaps if we do that all of the Fleshlings will die as well! Hiding the human race is not winning, Near. We need to be out there, defending our right to exist with our weapons in hand! If my small group managed to have a spy in its midst then there is bound to be at least one spy in your precious Facility! It won't be long until they lead you to your death!"

"...No." Near took another card and hesitated once again before he finally placed it down. As he did so the entire castle of cards shook violently and fell to the ground in a heap of chaos. The albino was still but seemed almost indifferent to all the hard work that had just gone to waste. "We are safe in the Facility. You are free to join us here as well, Mello."

"You're joking!" The blonde gaped in utter horror, "You're just going to sit here? I need people to help me capture Kira!" Near was silent in reply and Mello scoffed before turning on his heel. "Fine; I knew it was mistake to come here! I'm leaving! I'm going to save L by myself if I have to!"

"You may spend the night to gather supplies if you wish." Near picked up two cards and began the tedious task of reconstructing his castle. "Gevanni, Rester and Lidner: all three of you are to remain here with me. I am sure that Mello would feel more comfortable without the escort. Matt, you may return his weapons and his supplies; I know that he won't attempt anything irrational. However, the bridge will not be extended again until morning, when the Fleshlings will seek the refuge of darkness."

It was common knowledge that the Fleshlings hated bright lights, but sunlight was capable of killing the zombies within seconds.

Realising the fact that he was trapped in the Facility until morning, Mello grew still and quiet. Seeing his sudden reaction, Matt stepped forward hesitantly, all eyes except for the blonde's turning to him. "...He can stay with me." The red head didn't even know why he was volunteering himself, but it would just be for the night. No harm done and the blonde would leave in the morning...if things didn't turn out as planned, that is.

"..." Near twirled a lock of white hair between his fingers and he turned to look at Matt, an apprehensive expression covering his face. "Very well, Matt is willing to accommodate you." He turned away and the red head wondered why Near was so distrusting of him, even though he knew the answer to that. "You may stay and restock your supplies for the night, and in the morning you may leave on your solitary quest. I wish you luck."

"Whatever." Mello didn't turn back as he marched forward, shoving Lidner aside so that he could leave through the opening doorway. Matt quickly followed behind him, waving clumsily to the soldiers and their king before the door cut them off from sight. Mello continued to walk ahead without slowing, and the red head scrambled in front of him sheepishly, offering a friendly hand to the stranger.


	2. The Streets

Dead Note

AkatsukiMemberWoolfy

MattMello

Please Review/Comment!

Chapter 2

-o-

Mello stopped walking as the idiot blocked his way, and he stared blankly at the man. "...What are you doing?"

"..." The red head pulled his hand away hesitantly and rubbed the back of his head, "I just wanted to introduce myself..."

"..." The blonde sighed and offered his own hand out, "My name is Mello. Your name is Matt, I take it."

"That's me, babe." He shook Mello's hand while he removed the cigarette from his mouth with the other glove. "Technology expert of the Facility, at your service." He saluted adroitly and the blonde looked him up and down once again, guessing that this deadbeat must have been of _some_ use to the Facility...In any case, he could come in handy... "Here are your things back."

Matt offered him his backpack and his gun sluggishly, clearly not being the snappiest person is this damn hellhole, but at least he wasn't like one of Near's trigger-happy soldiers. Mello took his things back and pulled both bag and weapon onto his back, looking around the blank dismal hall they had stopped in. "So then, where is your room? Since I'm basically a prisoner I might as well rest up while I can...Tell me you have chocolate here..."

"Chocolate?" The man looked at him quizzically through the strange goggles before he shrugged slowly, "Well...Yeah, of course we have chocolate, but what about it? Do you want some?"

"No, I was just confirming the existence of chocolate because I come from an alternative reality where chocolate eats people if it is left alone for too long." Mello shoved the red head out of the way roughly and picked up his marching gait once more, "When God was giving out brains, I'm guessing you missed the shipment."

"You're very blunt, aren't you?" Mello didn't answer the idiot's question as he continued to pace through the maze-like halls of the Facility, but the only other person in the hallways at this time was the red head. "My room is near the centre, so we should reach it if we just keep taking left and right turns."

"Haven't you been living here for five years?" Mello eyed the idiot dully, watching the smoke trail from his cigarette. "Shouldn't you know your way around this godforsaken hellhole by now?"

"...I kind of do know my way around, but it's common for people to get lost in this place." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, and Mello turned to the left once they reached a corner, just as the idiot had instructed. "I've found my system works for getting me from point A to point B, so I really can't be bothered memorising something that never changes."

"I guess." Mello smacked his lips as the taste of chocolate was beginning to fade from his mouth. With the constant adrenaline of the past few days he had managed to keep his addiction under control, but now he could feel the craving begin to circulate throughout his entire body. "So can you get me some chocolate?"

"Well...Yeah, of course I can." The man looked at him queerly through the orange lenses. "But don't you want me to show you to the room first?"

"No, I'll find it by myself. Unfortunately, the directions you gave me have been burnt into my mind forever." He spoke with a monotone and turned right, leaving the red head standing alone in the hallway.

"Look for the door with the mushroom on!" Matt's voice called out and Mello frowned to himself.

"Whatever." He continued walking through the hallways, taking a left and then a right followed by another left and so on, until he was beginning to near the centre of the Facility. This place was so clean and sterile compared to the conditions that the blonde was used to. He shuddered at the thought that Near was probably always watching these hallways via the monitors he had set up in the strange room he had been in. That was probably the reason why he had allowed Mello to leave the room without the three soldiers to escort him around.

However, Mello had noticed the strange way Near had looked at Matt. The albino didn't trust him for some reason...Perhaps he had done something in the past, but for whatever reason the albino had kept him around, despite his lack of reliance. What had the idiot called himself earlier? Technology expert of the Facility...?

Near certainly needed the idiot around...If the time ever arose where Mello would need force to get out of this place the red head would make a good hostage.

The blonde had passed several more corners, and was about to turn another when he spied a door. Not that he hadn't seen any previously, since the walls were practically lined with the rusting iron doorways, but this one was different. "Mushroom, huh?" On the middle of the door was a sticker from a game before the Fall, although Mello didn't remember the reference. A green mushroom sticker with a face and the caption 'MARIO' written beneath it. "...This guy is strange..."

He slid the door open, finding that the hatch was unlocked. Stealing mustn't have been an issue here, especially with all the damn cameras.

Inside the room was far messier than the rest of the Facility, and the uncleanliness came as a relief to the blonde. A messy unkempt bed sat to the side of the room, while the floor was littered with empty cans and bags of chips. The walls were lined with cases, and on closer inspection he realised that they were video games...What a weirdo...

He dropped his bag onto the ground but kept his gun on him at all times, even when he crawled onto the messy bed. The exhaustion of the past few nights hit him like a gun shot, and he realised dazedly that he hadn't slept a wink in the past three days. Even his craving for chocolate could not challenge his quest for slumber.

Mello collapsed onto the mattress and pulled his AK-47 close to his chest. A strangely familiar sense of safety and sanctum washed over him without warning, and he was asleep in moments.

-x-

Matt sighed as he neared his room, a cloud of smoke blowing from his dying cigarette as he did so. He had raided the kitchen for chocolate but he had only managed to grab a few of the bars since he hadn't wanted to clear the stock out entirely. The blonde had left his door partly open but Matt was just relieved that Mello had managed to find the room in this labyrinth of doors and hallways. He saluted the sticker mindlessly as he always did when entering his room, "Good ol' Toad; thou hath served me well."

He drew the metal open and closed the rusting hinges with little difficulty. The blonde was sleeping on his bed and Matt locked the door's hatch behind him, dropping the bag of chocolate on the ground. The blonde didn't even stir from his sleep as the red head eyed him wearily...Sure this guy called _him_ an idiot, but he must have been stupid himself if he had let his defences down so suddenly in the abode of a stranger...

Matt stepped closer, humming in surprise once he noticed the gun clutched tightly against the blonde's chest...Okay, so maybe he wasn't _that_ stupid.

He felt his thumbs itch and he looked to the left to see his handheld console sitting on the couch where he had left it before his watch. Matt wanted to continue his game badly, but just as he was about to answer the beckoning of his addiction there was a painful thump in his head. Duty...

Matt opened the top drawer of his desk, finding the hunting knife still sat where he had left it...He brandished it slowly and turned to glance at the blonde, knowing what his duty was.

Mello's sleeping face was gentle and innocent... Did Mail even have the courage to commit the crime...?

The red head stepped closer to the bed and raised the knife up high.

-x-

Mello awoke to the sound of beeping and button pressing, both noises irritating him out of his state of slumber. He sat up with a grunt and looked around, shading his eyes from the light. The room was lit with the same sort of light bulbs that had lit the hallways, and they were not exactly gentle on the eyes... He finally spied the back of the gamer's head after a few moments of eye burning and searching. Matt was sitting on a couch, slouched over what could only be a console of sorts, and Mello rolled his eyes in annoyance. Idiot...

He blinked as he looked at his hands, finding his gun had disappeared. Before he could flip into a frenzy, the voice of the red head hit his ears, and along with it came the scent of cigarette smoke. "I took your gun off of you while you were sleeping. It's by the doorway...You're a deep sleeper, you know that? Someone could kill you in your sleep and you would never even realise it until you had reached the gates of heaven..."

Matt didn't even turn to look at him, but if he had then he would have seen the dark suspicious glare of the blonde aimed at the idiot...Had he just tried to threaten him? He was at least attempting to warn him about something... "Near doesn't trust you. Even an idiot like you should be able to see that."

"Yesterday was the first time I have actually met him in person." The gamer shrugged his shoulders and tapped some of the cinders from his cigarette into a full glass ashtray. "But I have known of his distrust for a while. You see, I set up the camera system around this place, and as a joke I had one of the cameras set to replay the same scene where nothing happened repeatedly. Then I got some people together to graffiti it up. But while I had it set up like that there was a murder in the very same hallway; a woman was found dead with her neck slit open." He shrugged his shoulders from behind and the sound of button tapping ended as the man probably hit a cutscene. "The murderer was never caught and Near probably still suspects that I was the one who killed poor Ms Takada. Of course nothing was ever proven and many people knew that the camera was faulty, even his soldiers had known about it."

"You? A murderer?" Mello snickered as he got to his feet, following the alluring scent of chocolate to a plastic bag on the ground. Inside he found several bars, and he knew that he would have to ration the delicacy for his trip. "I'm sorry, but you may be the suspicious type, but you certainly don't get me as the murderin' kind, if you know what I mean."

Matt just grunted, clearly far more interested in his game than in the blonde's comments. Mello stuffed the chocolate bars into his backpack and hesitated for a moment, but decided to eat one now against his better judgement. They didn't appear to be tampered with and chocolate was chocolate.

He ripped the foil open and snapped off a piece of the confectionary, eyeing the red head from behind once again. "Do you think they will have extended the bridge by now?" Mello leaned over the edge of the couch, eyeing the game in the man's hands with initial interest. He didn't recognise it at all. This red head must have either designed it himself or had someone make it for him...Even in the apocalypse, this man had his priorities misconstrued.

"It's up to Near, not me." Matt began to tap on the buttons once again and Mello became easily lost in the strange colourful imagery that he had missed all his life. It was not exactly easy nowadays to turn on a television, or to watch a movie...unless you were this guy. Mello turned his eyes to the blank television that sat against the wall, covered in empty cans and crumbs. Perhaps this man's rank in the Facility was higher than what he had first believed...

"Let's go then." The idiot didn't move or respond in anyway, and a thought hit Mello, knocking him into action. He swung around the couch until he was in front of the red head, and he roughly grabbed the idiot by the chin, forcing him to look up. With his free hand he grabbed the bridge of the man's goggles, pulling them up to his forehead with a flick of his hand as he leaned in close.

He stared deeply into the man's eyes, and the red head simply stared back with an air of both curiosity and cockiness. Dark blue eyes...

"...You're definitely not a spy for Kira..." Mello pulled away brusquely and stood up tall, snapping off a piece of chocolate with his teeth. Matt blinked up at him with his large puppy-dog eyes, and the blonde couldn't help but twitch at the sight before he spun around. "Neylon, Kira's spy from my previous group, always wore dark sunglasses, even at night. While he was being devoured by the horde of Fleshlings I managed to glimpse him in his dying moments. His eyes were red..."

"So you're saying that Kira is capable of making Fleshlings appear as humans to make them act as spies?" Mello turned to look at the red head's expression, but he was once again lost within the world of his game, the goggles resting tightly on his forehead.

"No, Neylon definitely wasn't a Fleshling. Those damn zombies cannot stand salt, whether it be the scent or the touch. It literally burns them like it would a slug. In our quest for survival we were all around salt constantly, and he was never responsive towards it."

"So..." Matt stopped pressing buttons, pausing his sentence as he glanced over a cutscene, and all Mello could hear was a mind numbing victory song playing from the device until he continued. "You're saying that Kira is able to control people to make them his spies?"

"Yes, but there _has_ to be something special about the people he controls...Something that I don't know about..." Mello frowned deeply to himself before shaking his head to clear it. "But what really irks me off is Near; he acted as if he didn't believe me!"

"I would be more surprised if he did, to be honest." Matt shrugged and finally pulled his goggles back over his eyes, continuing to play the game thoughtlessly. "You don't really have any proof about this Neynom guy or about this Kira figure either...I don't even know who this L is, so why should I care about him?"

"Why you!" The blonde suddenly grabbed the red head by the front of his shirt violently, glaring deeply into his goggled eyes as he pulled him partly off the couch. "HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A LIAR! NEYLON WAS POSSESSED AND KIRA WAS THE ONE CONTROLLING HIM! NOW KIRA HAS L! THE MAN WHO WAS WORKING ON A WAY TO WIPE OUT THE FLESHLINGS!"

"..." Matt responded by blowing a wisp of smoke into the blonde's face, and a small devious smile curved his lips. "I'm guessing that you're trying to compensate for something with that big gun of yours."

Mello stared at the man, utterly stunned. Sheer anger coursed through his veins and he shoved the man back against the couch, pinning him with his chest. "What the hell did you just say?" His voice may not have been set in a yell, but his tone was dark and murderous.

Matt watched him but seemed to think better of pushing the blonde any further. He snuck his arm around the blonde's body and pulled the cigarette from his lips while he eyed the boy cautiously. "I said that we should go see if the bridge has been extended yet."

"That's what I thought you said." Mello let go of the idiot unceremoniously, straightening up and turning away from him. "I need you to show me to the kitchen so that I can stock up my supplies. Sadly I can't win this war on chocolate alone." The blonde marched over to his bag and his gun, pulling both onto his back.

"Give me a second." Matt vocally sighed and got to his feet, picking up a satchel that sat just next to the couch. Mello watched him curiously as the man's attention returned to the game after he pulled the strap over his torso, and he paced to Mello's side without averting his eyes from the handheld device. "Let's go."

-o-

"Why did you grab a bag?" Mello was staring at him with a stunned expression and Matt just shrugged his shoulders aloofly. "Come on, answer me!"

"I'm joining you in your mission." The red head didn't even take his eyes from his device, but he could feel the shift in mood that had been undertaken in that simple statement.

"What?" Matt finally looked away from his game, surprised by the apparent horror on the man's face. "YOU? WHY THE HELL WOULD I WANT YOU TO HELP ME? YOU'D JUST GET US BOTH KILLED!"

The red head shrugged and returned to his game as he began to walk through the hallways, leading the blonde to the kitchen. He couldn't tell the blonde the real reason why he wished to join him since that would be suicidal. He hated going outside and he hated being away from his games...but he would have to take this journey. They would both die...so he could not change his mind on the matter; he was going and that was final.

"You need help, don't you?" Matt finally turned off his game and he slipped it into the pocket of his vest, blowing out a puff of dirty cigarette smoke. "You certainly can't save this 'L' all by yourself, and Near certainly won't be willing to sacrifice any of his citizens to your quest..." Suddenly the red head had the blonde pressed against the wall, a finger silencing his lips. Mello was shocked and looked about ready to explode at him. "Keep quiet; when I set up the cameras I purposefully set up a few blind spots, but you have to keep your voice down."

"What is the meaning of this?" Mello kept his voice hushed but the anger certainly hadn't fled. "If you're attempting to flirt with me then you are doing a crap job."

Matt blew a puff of irritated smoke into the blonde's face, leaning subtly closer so that he could be better understood. "Exactly what I said: 'Near certainly won't be willing to sacrifice any citizens to your quest'. Do you really think he will let _me_ go on your little rescue mission? He suspects that I have killed someone, yet he has never made a move to try to prove that I actually committed the crime. That in itself should show you how much he needs me here."

"..." Mello lowered his eyes suspiciously, most of his anger disappearing in the act. "So what? I don't want you joining me anyway..."

"You really are stupid." Matt sighed and pulled the cigarette from his mouth, "You came all the way to the Facility to recruit some people for your rescue mission, and yet you won't accept the one person who does want to help you." Mello looked like he was about to respond but he seemed to think better of it, keeping his mouth shut. "Now then, I have plan on how to get us both out of here..."

-x-

"...Got it..." Mello nodded slowly at the plan, but had great doubts on its success rate. "You really think that will work?"

"Not really, but it is worth a shot." The red head looked around slowly before turning his attention back to the blonde, "One of those soldiers you met yesterday will probably be here in a matter of seconds; we've probably been off the radar for too long and Near has grown suspicious. Just follow my lead."

"Wha-" Mello was cut off as lips clamped down on his own. The red head wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist and pressed him harder against the wall, as if to make sure he wouldn't escape. WHAT WAS THIS IDIOT DOING?

Mello grabbed at fistfuls of faux fur on the man's vest, trying to stop him. Slowly, however, he ended his struggling, especially once he caught onto the sound of running...

A tongue ran along his lower lip and the blonde realised that this was all an act...Follow my lead, huh?

Mello opened his mouth, shuddering once he felt the man's tongue enter between his lips. He was pushed harder against the wall and he closed his eyes as he lost himself in the acting. The other man's tongue began to rub against sensitive spots inside the blonde's mouth, and Mello began to truly grow lost in the tobacco kiss.

For an idiot, this guy was a damn good kisser...

The skid of boots on linoleum signalled the end of the approaching run, and after a few more moments of 'acting', the red head pulled away, leaving the blonde panting and breathless. "Lidner...We were just on our way to the kitchen. I guess we got a bit..." Matt paused for a moment to take a drag from his cigarette, pulling his body away from the blonde's a moment later, "...distracted..."

"...I see..." Mello looked at the woman, who was far less armed than what she had been the day before, only carrying a simple glock in hand. She was clearly blushing as she straightened up and coughed into her fist, "...I just came to tell you that the bridge has been extended and that you are free to leave, Mello."

"Ah well..." The red head casually leaned on one foot and shrugged his shoulders aloofly, "It was good while it lasted, babe. You sure you can't stick around for another night of fun?"

"Definitely not." Mello pulled himself off the wall and pretended to dust himself of dirt, "I need to rescue L, idiot."

"_Right, _have fun with that." The red head sniggered and turned to Lidner casually, "So can you escort Mello here to the kitchen to get supplies for his trip? I'm going to fix some errors that I noticed with the emergency button last night; why didn't anyone tell me there was such a long delay between pressing the button and activation?" He breathed out a sigh of smoke and spun on his heel aloofly before heading off with his usual carefree gait.

Mello watched as he left, licking the inside of his mouth to find the taste of cigarette still tainted his tongue. What a strange man...

He turned to the female with a challenging expression, daring her to say anything about what she had just seen. "Let's go." She had once again built up her mask of stolidity and her gun had returned to her side, "The kitchen is through here."

"Lead the way." Mello picked up his march and headed in the direction the woman had gestured, Lidner taking to his side calmly. They walked for a while in silence until the woman finally spoke up.

"So...you and Matt..." She must have tasted her own words, for the woman paused imperially for what felt like an eternity, "...I never really guessed that he was into people, let alone men."

Mello sniggered and shook his head, almost amused by this woman. "Do you _realise_ how hard it is to get laid during the apocalypse?"

-x-

Matt was waiting by the entrance of the Facility, staring along the slim bridge that had been freshly extended. His lips were free of his cigarette dependence and the current watcher was known as Matsuda. Things could not go any more perfect for their plan.

"So...what are you doing here again, Matt-o?" The raven-haired man smiled at him with wide eyes and an air of whimsical innocence.

The red head shrugged his shoulders and casually leaned against the wall of the Facility. "I'm just saying goodbye to someone; this idiot appeared in the middle of last night, and I feel obligated to see him off."

"I see." Matsuda continued to grin at him childishly, joining him in leaning back against the wall. "It's been a while since we've had any strangers arrive! Not since last year! In fact, if I remember correctly, you were the last one to turn up. You were a wreck!" Matsuda laughed loudly and tapped his foot against the wall, "You couldn't even remember your own name! But you always had a natural way with technology that we had needed desperately, so Near had no choice but to let you join us. Man, those were the days!"

"They're just a blur to me." Matt shrugged his shoulders and habitually rubbed his lips, surprising himself once he recalled that he wasn't currently smoking. "I can't remember anything before my second week in this place." He looked out into the wasteland beyond the moat, having not seen the sight during daylight hours in a long time. "I guess I wasn't right in the head or something. The earliest thing I remember is waking up in my room, wondering how I got there. I don't even remember when people started calling me Matt."

"I wanted to call you Matsuda!" The Japanese man laughed again and put his hand on the red head's shoulder to pet him, "But they said that they didn't want two of me running around! So we began to call you 'Mat' for short, and it kinda just grew from that. The only thing you seemed to remember at the time was that you had lost someone, although you wouldn't say anything more about it...You seemed very frantic about it though. It must have been someone very dear."

"I see..." The red head straightened up off the wall as the doorway opened, revealing Mello and Lidner beyond. "Hey there, babe. I came to see you off into the big wide world. I need to see your passport, and you have to tell me if you have anything to declare for quarantine."

"Fuck you." Mello continued walking forward, reaching the start of the narrow bridge. "Thanks for the supplies, Lidner. I'll be back in a few days with Kira's head on a plate." Matsuda watched the blonde curiously and the red head stepped forward, taking Mello's hand into his own, kissing the back of it sweetly.

"Perhaps when you return we can have some more fun~" He winked at the blonde from behind his goggles, and the next moment he shoved him in the direction of the bridge. "Or better yet!" Matt suddenly slammed his fist against the emergency button, although there was a lengthy delay with the bridge's collapse.

Mello was already running across the connection and Matt took flight as well. "MATT!" Lidner drew her gun but both knew that she wasn't going to shoot either the blonde or the red head for leaving.

"Lidner!" The voice of Near cut through the air sharply over a device that the soldier wore on her jacket, and both she and Matsuda jumped in surprise. "Stop them! They cannot be allowed to leave!"

The woman began running after them immediately, but just as she stepped onto the bridge it finally began to divide. Mello was already past the gap and by the time Matt had reached it, it was no more than a short leap to the other side. He waved behind him brashly as Lidner was forced to stop once the gap became impassable. "Don't worry! I left a note on how to fix the controls! It should only take a day for the bridge to link once again!"

"Wow, you're an asshole when you want to be." Mello looked back at him wearily and Matt just laughed in response.

The sun hurt his skin, the air tasted worse than cigarette smoke, and the sky was crisp with bitter coldness, yet for some reason he was happy. Undeniably, unbelievably, happy.

-o-

They had ran until the Facility was lost in the wreckage of distant rubble. Both were panting hard, and the red head had had to stop walking until he caught his breath before they could continue. "Are you alright?" Mello did not put an ounce of sincerity into his voice, the question dripping with sarcasm. "Life of eating potato chips catching up with you, I see."

"It isn't that..." Matt gulped down oxygen and wiped his forehead of excess sweat that was beginning to fog up his goggles. "It's just that...I can't remember...the last that I...had to run..." Mello quirked an eyebrow at the man before sighing, thumping him on the back with his fist. "Ouch!" Matt began to cough miserably before he shot the blonde an annoyed expression from beneath both goggles and fringe. "What was...that for?"

"That was for kissing me, you dick." The blonde pulled a well deserved chocolate bar from out his bag, ripping it open resolutely. "You could have at least warned me or something."

"As if I had the chance." Matt straightened up and pulled a box of cigarettes from his vest pocket, along with a lighter. "I needed a good reason to be off camera for so long, and what better excuse than a male on male romantic moment?" The red head placed a cigarette into his mouth and lit it up in moments, filling the air with smoke.

Mello scowled and bit off a chunk of chocolate with his teeth, turning towards the direction they would need to move. "Whatever, let's just get going already. We will move by day and at night we'll have to find places safe from the Fleshlings to camp in. They spend the days in darkness and roam by night. I grabbed several bags of salt that can be used against them, but we'll have to use the salt sparingly."

"Got it." Matt put his packet and lighter back into his pocket, starting to fiddle around with his satchel. Mello watched as the man pulled out the handheld console that he had been so engrossed with earlier. "Let's go."

"...Really?" The blonde could not understand this guy. "We are out in Fleshling-infested territory with just the two of us...and you're playing your stupid video game?"

"Yep." The red head began to walk and Mello watched him with narrowed eyes before beginning to march at his side begrudgingly.

...Yep...They were totally screwed.

-x-

Lidner stood firmly, her face wiped of all expression. Near sat encircled by toy train rails, and as always he provided the impression that he was far more interested in the toys than in his own words. "I still don't understand..." She wanted to frown but over everything she wanted to remain as calm and collected as possible. "If you didn't want Mello to leave, then why did you extend the bridge in the first place?"

"You confuse my words, Lidner." The boy placed a second train onto the track and began to watch as it circled him like a shark. "I had no concerns over Mello's desire to leave or to remain at the Facility. The one who I am more troubled by is Matt's presence beyond these walls."

"I know that Matt is very crucial to our technology, but we do have others. I'm sure we will suffice even with his absence...We existed before him and we can exist without." She finally surrendered herself to her sudden urge to frown, "Unless you are worried about him..."

"No." Near's voice was smooth and flat, showing he truly was disinterested in the red head's safety. "If I am concerned over anyone's safety it would be Mello's."

"Mello's?" Lidner blinked in absolute surprise.

"Yes. Do you recall the murder that happened a year ago?" He placed a third train on the rails, losing interest quickly in the other two that already encircled him. "Ms Kiyomi Takada, I believe her name was."

"Of course I remember; murder doesn't just happen everyday around here." She was still confused about what the albino was talking about. "I know that Matt was responsible for the camera mix-up, but he only meant it as a harmless joke, sir. Many of the residence of the Facility found humour in it."

"What you do not know is that Ms Takada came to talk to me before she was murdered." There was a bang as the third train rammed into the first, knocking them both off the railing. The second train, however, continued to turn without delay. Near, as per usual, was indifferent about the accident. "You see, she came to tell me that she was a spy for Kira. She was scared and claimed that someone was after her life - a fellow spy who knew she was at her breaking point...The very next day she was found dead."


	3. The Tunnel

Dead Note

AkatsukiMemberWoolfy

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MattMello

Chapter 3

The streets were empty, and the sun was hidden behind dark dismal clouds. However, the Fleshlings would not risk leaving their hiding places until the sun had set. Even so, Mello had his gun drawn and at the ready. The red head was still far too preoccupied by his game to comprehend the weight of the situation, and the scent of smoke clouded the air. Perhaps cigarette smoke would help to keep the Fleshlings at bay...or it might actually attract them...

"Won't that game of yours eventually run out of battery?" Mello glanced at the gamer snidely, but the man didn't even look up from his screen.

"It shouldn't, but just in case it does I brought a bag of batteries along for the trip." They walked over a pile of rubble that had once been the wall of a nearby building, now decrepit and dusty.

"I see you packed the necessities..." Mello frowned and climbed down the pile of rubble while Matt just mindlessly jumped back onto the ground. "Speaking of which, what did you pack in that satchel of yours exactly?"

"Batteries, some games, some food I had leftover in my room, and a portable orb light." He shrugged his shoulders, but he still would not remove his eyes from the flashing colours of the screen. The sounds of beeping, whinny music, and the frantic tapping of buttons was beginning to wear down on Mello's patience, and he ground his teeth together in indignation.

"Whatever. I managed to swipe some food that will last a while, along with several bottles of water and as much salt as I could carry in my bag." He thought for a moment, but guessed that the red head hadn't been a complete idiot after all. Matt had brought food and a light along, so he wasn't _entirely_ useless...

But Mello doubted the man's capability in a fight; he'd probably just end up shooting the blonde in the back.

This became certain once the red head drew his pistol and instantly aimed it at the blonde. Mello jumped back just as he fired, and he hurriedly handled his own gun, about to aim it at the traitor. A wail filled the air and Mello turned towards the sound just in time to see the Fleshling crumple to the ground, ooze gushing from the bullet wound in its head.

"Crap." Matt dropped his handheld console into his bag without even turning it off, "And I had just reached a boss as well..." Mello watched as the first Fleshling was followed by several more, all stumbling towards them ravenously. What? Fleshlings coming out in the daytime? Even during overcast times like this they usually wouldn't risk chasing after prey! It wasn't their style; it was in their instincts to wait until darkness before beginning their attack! "Come on!"

The sound of shooting rang throughout the air and the next thing Mello knew a hand had grabbed his own, pulling him into a run. The blonde stumbled for a few paces before picking up his pace, wrenching his hand from the red head's. "Don't act like a pussy!" Mello paused his running for a moment and turned, firing at the horde restlessly before turning back to run again. "There is too many back there! We'll need to find a place to barricade ourselves for the night."

"Gotcha." Matt turned to fire at the mob but accidentally tripped over a pile of fallen rubble. He hit the ground with an oomph, losing his cigarette in the process, and Mello stopped to drag him to his feet, hauling him along.

"Come on, idiot!" The duo raced away from the ravenous creatures, eyes turning in all direction as they attempted to find an escape. "There!" Mello pointed ahead to a tall building with large vines growing on the side, all the way up to the third floor. "Climb!"

"Gotcha, babe." They reached the wall in moments and grabbed onto the vines, finding that the thick vegetation held their weight easily. The Fleshlings looked up witlessly as their prey began to escape their grasp, climbing higher and higher. Just as they reached the second floor they looked beneath them to see that several of the Fleshlings were also attempting to climb up as well. The vines began to pull, starting to strain under the weight of the multiple bodies.

"Hurry!" They climbed faster and Mello was the first to reach the open window on the third floor, leaping inside with a grunt. The building seemed uninhabited by Fleshlings; the windows were much too large for the zombies to hide here in safety from the sun.

"Mello!" The blonde rushed back to the window, just as the vines began to snap beneath the weight of the mob. The red head started to fall towards the awaiting masses below and Mello recklessly lurched himself forward.

He managed to grab the red head by the wrist, just as Matt had rescued him the previous night. Mello himself was nearly pulled out the window, but he managed to grab hold of the sturdy windowsill just before he fell. "Fuck! You're heavy!" He grunted and Matt scrambled for a moment before he too managed to take hold of the windowsill, dragging himself up through the gap. They both collapsed onto the ground with the red head landing above the blonde, breathing roughly with the rush of adrenaline.

The smaller male was about to comment on their plan, but was silenced by an unexpected kiss. Mello's breath caught in his throat and for a moment his mind went blank. His entire body seemed to shut down at the kiss, and all he could do was lie there helplessly. What the...?

The red head tumbled away from him, seeming just as surprised as the blonde was. Mello glared at him and got to his feet, readjusting his backpack and his gun furiously. "What the fuck was that for?"

The red head blinked at him with large eyes, his goggles now sitting around his neck. He shrugged and got to his feet as well, pulling his game back out from his satchel to check it for damage. "Thrill of the moment...Shit, my game froze!" Matt grumbled and began to tap at the buttons, finding that it was hopeless.

Mello continued to glare but found that the red head had already forgotten about his crime, far too lost in his precious game. The blonde sighed and walked to the window, gazing down at the mob below. The Fleshlings were wailing but thinning out as many realised that it was hopeless to reach their lost prey, especially with the constant threat of sunlight's re-emergence. "We're still in danger. We will need to gather firewood and move to the highest floor while setting up salt areas to stop the Fleshlings from reaching us in the night. I think it will rain as well; that should be helpful in covering up our scent, but it also means that we can't camp on the roof."

"M'hm..." The red head was clearly more intent on his game and Mello just shook his head and sighed, closing the rusted window with a bang. He hated to admit it, but his lips were still tingling from that kiss...There was something strange about this idiot...something that Mello couldn't understand.

-x-

They sat in the top room of what must have once been an apartment building, with the blonde staring out the window while Matt focused on his game. But even with the distraction, the red head was growing anxious. He knew what his task was...He was to kill Mello. He _had _to kill Mello. That was the plan.

It had been so much easier in his head...but being around the blonde made him hesitate. He should have killed the man back when they had still been at the Facility. Matt should have just let him fall to his death.

That blankness in the blonde's eyes should have been enough to fuel the red head's motives.

"I don't get you, Matt..." The gamer didn't look up as the blonde sat on the opposite side of the low-burning fire, but he could feel the man's suspicious gaze nevertheless. "I don't get why you are out here with me. You don't seem like the type of person to really care about this apocalypse, and if I had to guess I would say that your current life wasn't much different from your previous life...So then, why are you out here with me?"

Matt didn't look up from his screen but his expression was sombre. "I want revenge."

"Revenge?" The blonde had definitely not been expecting that. "Revenge against whom?"

"Kira." Matt finally looked up, an uncharacteristic sharpness in his goggled gaze as the embers of the fire gleamed against his amber vision. "I want Kira to suffer."

"...Why?" Mello's chocolate bar lay temporarily forgotten in hand, and Matt couldn't take his eyes away. "What did he do to you? You seem absolutely indifferent about the Fleshling existence, and you didn't even know L personally."

"It isn't about L, or even about this stupid apocalypse." The gamer's voice grew darker and he finally looked away from the blonde. "Kira killed someone...someone I cared for deeply..."

"You mean that girl who was murdered at the Facility?" Mello tilted his head and Matt visibly flinched at the mention. "The one that Near thinks you killed?"

"..." The red head smiled, albeit hesitantly. "Was it that obvious? Yes, she was my girlfriend, and Kira had her killed by a spy. Her name was Takada...and I loved her dearly."

"So you _didn't_ kill her?" The blonde tilted his head and Matt quickly looked back to his game.

"No. I didn't kill her." Such a lie...Of course he had killed the woman! But he couldn't tell Mello that. The red head needed the blonde's trust, and as soon as his guard dropped his throat would be as good as cut, just as Matt had slit Takada's. One smooth action...that was all he needed to do...

Just one small slice.

"So we're both in this for revenge." Mello got to his feet once again and bit off a thick piece of chocolate, eating it thoughtfully. "Perhaps I mistook you, Matt. In any case, we are in this together." He grinned successfully and balled his fist in triumph, "We will kill Kira one way or another."

"Yes..." Matt watched the blonde walk into the corner of the room, sitting against the wall with his gun in hand, preparing himself for sleep. It had been agreed earlier than Matt would take first watch, but Mello still certainly held little trust for the gamer. "Kira will soon be dead..." His voice suddenly fell and he mouthed out the very last word so that the blonde couldn't hear him..."_Mihael_."

...Just one small slice...

-x-

Mello woke with a start to a pair of red eyes staring down at him. SHIT! A FLESHLING!

He jumped to his feet, accidentally knocking heads with his attacker. "Ow!" The cry was human and the next moment the air was filled with light. The blonde looked anxiously to see none other than Matt, rubbing his head from the pain of the collision. He was noticeably unarmed and his goggles were draped around his neck. "I was just waking you up to tell you that it was your turn to keep watch."

The blonde stared at the man hesitantly, keeping his distance...The man had had red eyes a moment ago...Hadn't he?

No! They couldn't have been! His eyes were blue...

"Are you okay?" The red head leaned in closer to the blonde, clearly confused. "You look as though you've seen a ghost..."

"It's nothing." Mello looked away snappily, but flinched once he felt gloved fingers on his chin, drawing his attention back to the red head. He stared into the man's eyes, feeling his shoulders shake for some unknown reason. The man was slowly moving closer to him, but Mello felt his entire body become paralysed.

The blonde's muscles trembled and he shuddered lustfully once their lips finally connected. What was happening? He didn't _desire_ this idiot! Why was his body acting this way?

Matt pushed him against the wall, with the blonde's gun pressed between them. A tongue slid between his lips, immediately starting to rub against sensitive areas of his mouth. Mello shivered yearningly and he pressed his own tongue against the red head's, succumbing to his touch.

The blonde's mind was blank and all that he knew was that he desperately wanted the gamer. He wanted nothing more than to have their bodies scraping against one another, to have the red head feeling every single inch of skin, for them to be joined together for a few eternal moments of bliss.

It was Matt who managed to withdraw himself, wrenching his body away from the blonde's with a stumble. He fell over in his haste, panting feverishly with blatant desire as he managed to escape the clutches of fervour. Mello stared down at him, his face flushed and gaping as he tried to recapture his regular breathing rate. What the hell had just happened? Had...the idiot just rejected _him_?

No...wait...That had been for the best; Mello certainly hadn't been able to restrain himself for some reason...

"So..." Matt scratched the side of his head sheepishly, still sitting on the ground where he had landed, "...It's your turn to keep watch."

"..." Mello nodded and clutched his gun closer to his chest as he slid down the wall mindlessly, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. Matt got to his feet and trod dejectedly to the opposite corner of the room, slumping against the wall with an air of embarrassment...or was it something else?

The blonde turned to look at the ball of light that Matt had brought over and he noticed that the fire was void of life. It was lucky that the red head had brought the strange light source with him from the Facility. It would be useful...

Oh great, now he was just trying to not think about what had just happened! Fucking hell...This red head was certainly hiding something!

...What if...he really was a spy for Kira?

Outside the rain poured heavily, and he glared across the room at the sleeping figure. He could not risk letting his guard fall around him, that was for certain.

-x-

The streets were empty and damp, aside from the two escapees. The red head was preoccupying himself with his game as best as possible, but he knew that the blonde had only grown more distant after what had happened last night. Matt hadn't been able to control himself...Mello had just been so...so...so defenceless.

This was only getting harder by the day. He knew what he had to do for the plan to succeed.

He had to kill Mello, and then he had to kill himself.

At the Facility, he had hoped that it wouldn't have to come to this, but as soon as Mello had burst from the darkness he must have known that it could end no other way...Or perhaps it still could end differently? Maybe that was why he hadn't killed them both already? He was hoping for some way for them both to live...

What no one knew was that he had faced Kira in the past...Matt had barely managed to escape with his life, and the cost had been the life of his lover.

He had been lost without his love, and it had been in a daze that he had made his way to the Facility, overcoming the hordes of Fleshlings in his way. Matt had barely made it, and the struggle had been so great that he truly could not recall his first week at the Facility. He had never told anyone about his past; not Matsuda, not Lidner, not even Near...Especially not Near.

That was how he knew that he and Mello did not stand a chance against Kira...although Matt_ had_ managed to take out the man's secret weapon last time. A woman by the name of Misa, who had been able to see someone's name by simply looking at their face. Matt had put a bullet in her head, but it had been too late to change his lover's fate.

"We should be able to reach Kira's lair in a few days." Mello snapped off a piece of chocolate and Matt returned his attention to reality, noticing his game at last. "Let's just hope that the sun remains out...The Fleshlings want us badly, and they are willing to risk exposure during overcast to get us..." The display was flashing with two simple words.

"...Yes..." Matt stared at the screen, cigarette ash falling onto the display harmlessly as he refused to take his eyes away. _Game Over_...

-x-

"Shit..." Mello pointed ahead of them, catching the gamer's attention with his comment. "I forgot about this thing..."

Ahead of them was a tunnel steeped in darkness. The blonde remembered being chased by a horde of Fleshlings through the dimness and he had barely been able to escape with his life. "Is there any way we can go around it?"

"No, this is the only way through..." Mello frowned and turned to the red head, "We will have to use your light; it should be enough to give us a head start but it won't keep them away for long..." The gamer nodded and put his handheld device away without turning it off, exchanging it for the luminous ball and his pistol. "Think more, talk less."

"Gotcha, babe." The red head spat his cigarette onto the ground and stamped it out with one merciless step, skidding the ash across the pavement. "Let's do this."

They waited until they were at the entrance before lighting the orb, finding no sign of Fleshlings. The zombies wouldn't dwell this close to sunlight anyway; no, they would be found near the centre of the tunnel, waiting for their prey voraciously.

Mello had his weapon drawn and aimed into the darkness as they took the plunge into the abyss, the light brightening the decay around them. Rocks, debris, bloody smears across the walls, along with rusting abandoned cars of people long since dead. The dankness smelt of rotting flesh.

"Not exactly Disney World..." The blonde glared at the red head, who just shrugged in response. "They already know we're here. Lighten up a little, Mellsy."

"Firstly, don't you dare ever call me that again. Secondly, shut the hell up." Mello marched ahead and Matt had to pick up his pace to continue at his side.

The only sound that interrupted their silence was that of dripping, an annoyance that continued without hindrance or origin. They heard no wails nor did they see the glimmer of murderous crimson eyes in the darkness around them.

The tension only rose with the suspense. The pounding of their harmonious heartbeats began to rival the constant dripping. The air was thick with strain.

A wail. The first of many. Eyes all around them, fading in from darkness.

The pounding of boots on pavement as both boys ran. Screams from the dead mixed with the rapid fire of two ready guns.

More Fleshlings appeared ahead of them, and the duo attempted to mow down as many as possible before they reached the horde. As more eyes appeared it was obvious that the Fleshlings were trying to divide them...and they were successful.

Neither of them anticipated the sudden division of the tunnel. Matt turned left while Mello turned right. They didn't notice the separation until there was a swarm of Fleshlings dividing them, and the blonde was forced to run on into the darkness as the light vanished with the red head.

His mind was racing, but not as fast as his heart or his feet. Crap, what was he going to do without the light?

...Wait...

Mello suddenly stopped...Darkness...

He spun around, searching through the dim for the glow of eyes...None...They hadn't even followed him! Why wouldn't they be after him...?

Shit! "I'M COMING MATT!" The blonde spun around and ran back the way he had come, gasping at the sight as he rounded the corner. Matt stood on top of an abandoned car, surrounded on all sides by Fleshlings. He was kicking and firing at any that tried to climb onto the roof, but as more and more swarmed there grew less and less hope of his escape.

Mello looked around frantically, realising in a sick epiphany that the Fleshlings didn't even notice him...Huh? Why were they after Matt and not him? NO! HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THAT! HE HAD TO SAVE THE IDIOT!

"JUST HOLD THEM OFF, MATT!" The blonde finally caught sight of an abandoned car that sat just outside the throng, appearing rusted but useful. Mello ran towards the vehicle, hearing the ringing sound of a gun being fired. Pain shot through his left arm and he winced in shock, looking to his wound. What the...?

He turned to Matt, meeting eyes with the red head...The idiot was...aiming his gun at the blonde...

Had he just tried to shoot him? No, it must have been an accident!

Mello turned away from the red head, ignoring his arm that had only been grazed by the bullet, continuing his run towards the car. He pulled the handle to find that, although a little rusted, the door was unlocked. The original owner had certainly left in a hurry, for the keys were still injected in the vehicle.

There was a cry and he turned to see Matt being dragged off the roof of the car, into the heart of the swarm. NO! Mello started the engine and turned the headlights to their maximum output.

The Fleshlings shrieked at the burn of high beams and they instinctively parted. Mello slammed his foot on the accelerator and the car roared forward into the mob, forcing them to retreat. Matt lay with his back against the vehicle he had been standing on only moments ago, looking dazed and wounded, but at least he was alive. "Get in, idiot!"

The red head managed to get to his feet, although the act was clearly a struggle for him. He roughly pried the back door open and threw himself inside before the masses of Fleshlings began to risk moving closer to the blinding lights.

As soon as the red head was safe inside the rusting wreck, Mello slammed his boot against the gas pedal, skidding against debris and other cars as he swung out of the left tunnel and into the right, which was free of Fleshlings. The zombies took chase but the car was far too fast for them. The rear-view mirror was broken and he didn't dare risk a look back at the silent gamer who sat sprawled over the back seat. He couldn't do anything until they had found a place to camp for the night.

The sight of sunlight was a blessing, and the darkness died in an instant. They had made it!

Mello swung the car as he hit the brake, skidding dark tire tracks into the pavement as he went. He grinned victoriously as the vehicle finally stopped and he stepped out to breathe in the fresh air, taking a moment to relish in the freedom of day. Then he recalled his accomplice, and he quickly went to the back seat, wrenching the door open. Matt lay over the seat, bloody and battered, but at least he was alive.

"Come on, idiot." Mello looked around and spied a tall building with large glass windows nearby. That would be perfect for the night! "We can't stay here; it will be dark soon."

The gamer groaned in pain as he sat up, looking at the blonde as if he were in a dream. He was only semi-conscious, that was for certain. Mello pulled him from the car, managing to support his weight with some difficulty...He had a long trip ahead...

-x-

Matt woke to a fire and the sight of Mello tending to his wounds. He blinked groggily and looked around, taking in his surroundings half-heartedly. They were in an office with the red head sitting against the door. The desk had been smashed and Matt guessed that it had been used to make the fire that was currently lighting the darkness around them. He had certainly lost his orb of light in the tunnel fiasco, but at least he still had his gun and bag.

"You're lucky that Fleshling bites aren't capable of turning people into zombies or I would have had to kill you." Matt looked at the blonde blankly and then down at his body, flinching at the sight.

His vest and shirt lay tossed aside, both damp with his own blood. Matt's chest and arms were covered in teeth marks, most having broken the skin. Mello was currently cleaning out the wounds with what must have been salt water and Matt flinched at the pain. He had been lucky to escape with his life. A few more moments and he would have been a buffet.

He still remembered seeing Mello slinking through the outskirts of darkness in the tunnel, where the light of the discarded orb had barely reached. The only thought that had crossed Matt's mind was the idea that he would die while the blonde would live. He knew that he could not allow that to happen. That was why he had tried to shoot the blonde. If Matt died and Mello lived...

But the blonde had been running and Matt had been hesitant. He hadn't been able to kill him, but at least the red head hadn't died without fulfilling his final mission.

His gun and bag sat across the room, impossible for him to reach without attracting Mello's attention, especially in his current wounded state. "Thank you...Mello..."

The blonde looked up from his task of helping the idiot, eyeing his uncovered eyes slowly. "...Don't be stupid; you really think I would have just let you get eaten by those beasts? I can't have you dying on me just yet; I need help to take down Kira, remember?"

"..." Matt leaned down suddenly, bringing the blonde into an unexpected kiss. Mello shuddered against his touch and the red head brought a hand up to stroke the male's hair tenderly. He didn't take the kiss any further than that. They held it for a few moments longer and then Matt pulled away sullenly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Mello looked back to the red head's chest, as if he were embarrassed by the kiss. He certainly didn't resist Matt's advances anymore... "I'm just a bit confused."

"About what?"

-o-

"The Fleshlings in the tunnel..." Mello took the rag in hand once again and continued to clean out a large bloody bite mark on the red head's chest, removing a rotting tooth from his flesh. "I don't understand why they acted like I wasn't there..."

If Matt was a spy for Kira, as the blonde suspected, then why had the Fleshlings been after_ him_? He had since realised that the red head definitely _had_ tried to shoot him, even if in the thrill of the moment he had been disbelieving. There were only two theories that he could think of.

That the red head had wanted to kill the blonde to spare him the fate of being eaten alive by the Fleshlings, or that the red head was a spy for Kira who had been sent to kill him...

But if he _was_ a spy for Kira, why would the Fleshlings attack him and not Mello...? Perhaps Kira was just trying to prove the red head's innocence by making him seem like a victim...Matt was still alive, after all...

Mello drew some bandages from his bag and instructed the idiot to lift his arms up. He began to wrap the white cloth around the deeper wounds but knew that it really wouldn't help. They had just been lucky that the blonde had reached the idiot in time; a few more seconds in that horde and there wouldn't have been much of the red head left to rescue.

"Here, drink this." Mello offered the man a bottle of water and he drank deeply, almost downing the entire bottle in one sip. The blonde leaned back and picked up his chocolate bar that he had been eating before the idiot had regained consciousness, snapping a piece off with his teeth. Perhaps this fool would turn out to be more trouble than he was worth, but whether they liked it or not they were in this together. "Eat this apple; maybe it'll help keep the Fleshling doctors away." He sniggered as he offered the fruit to the man, "Home grown at your very own sweet Facility. Not so fresh as it used to be, but fruit is a godsend in the apocalypse."

"Gotcha." Matt took the fruit and began to ravenously eat while the blonde finished up with his wounds. They still had a lot of journeying ahead of them, and he just hoped that the red head would be able to carry on. At least the Fleshlings had avoided biting at his legs...Not much meat to be found there anyway. "And with the zombies; maybe they just realised that my flesh is so much tastier than yours." Matt grinned at him cockily and the blonde rolled his eyes.

"You can have first watch, Mr Five-Course-Meal." Mello got to his feet, feeling dizzy for a few moments. He had had to lug the idiot up six flights of stairs by himself, along with their equipment. He clutched his head and picked up the red head's bag, tossing it to him carelessly. Matt caught it with a flinch, glancing at Mello curiously. "You'll want your game, I take it. I think it turned off during the struggle but you should just be happy that it isn't broken."

"Shit, I was up to a boss as well." Matt frowned and pulled his device from his game, pouting once he confirmed that it had been turned off. Mello felt like questioning the amount of bosses in the game, but he was already collapsing in the corner of the room by the time the idea came to mind. He held his gun close and yawned, feeling sleep wash over him quickly and without mercy.

-x-

The group of four stood in front of the tunnel entrance, hesitating on the brink of sun and darkness. "You really think they would have travelled through here? Who's to say they both survived?" The female of the group turned to the shortest member, who stood surrounded safely by the three.

"Whether they survived the tunnel I do not know, but there is clear evidence that they came this way." The albino twirled a hair between his fingers with one hand while he pointed at the ground with another. "See? A cigarette, freshly crushed. It cannot be more than a day old, and we are all aware of Matt's habits." Near lowered his hand and kept his eyes turned away from the tunnel. "They certainly went through here."

He curved around and began to walk back towards their vehicle; a sturdy and heavily armoured tank. They had kept it in working condition since the Fall, and now had been the best opportunity to use it. The tank was slow but it was covered in salt and wired with bright lighting so that it was Fleshling-proof, and because of it they could even move at night. Near just wanted to find Kira's lair.

He didn't care much for Mello, and he certainly didn't care at all for Matt. The albino just had to follow their trail of wrappers, cigarettes and footprints. With them in the lead he was sure to find Kira's lair in no time at all.

Near was not concerned over the loss of either Mello or Matt's life, especially if it resulted in the demise of the man who had started this apocalypse.

Near would be victorious.


	4. The Hotel

Dead Note

AkatsukiMemberWoolfy

MattMello

Please Review/Comment!

Chapter 4

-o-

Mello and Matt were tramping through the streets, feeding their addictions while they walked. The red head gamed and smoked while the blonde devoured one of his remaining chocolate bars. The road ahead of them was bleak and void of life.

Mello looked at the sun with a frown on his face, noting the few clouds that lined the sky. It would not take long for the heavens to grow overcast, and he knew that as soon as the sun was hidden the Fleshlings would strike. They were desperate to stop them from reaching Kira.

He looked to Matt curiously, trying to gauge his health. The red head displayed a slight limp in his walk and he had a restrained slouch that was from something more than the desire to view his game closer. The blonde had checked his wounds once more before they had left, and he knew that there was no reason to worry. It was common knowledge that Fleshling bites didn't fester due to a bacteria found on their teeth, but then why was he still so concerned about this stranger?

"So..." Mello hopped over a fallen lamppost with ease as he decided on what he was going to say. "I'm guessing you really loved that person that Kira killed, right? That girl from the Facility who was murdered."

Matt looked up from his game to stare at Mello with goggled eyes, cigarette burning at his lips. "More than anything."

"More than anything?" The blonde chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "More that video games and cigarettes?"

"...Anything." As if to prove his point, the red head dropped the death stick and stomped it into the asphalt. He was starting to run low on cigarettes as well, stressing the weight of the act. "We had been together for years...since we were children. We argued, and we constantly took each other for granted, but I would give anything to have her back...I just fear..."

There was silence and Mello grew curious. "What do you fear?"

Matt looked up at the sun, his lips growing grim. "I fear that I will make the wrong choice..."

"What choice is there to make?" Mello frowned but Matt did not look at him. "We kill Kira; you wanted revenge, right?"

"Yes...but I don't know what might happen...if Kira tries to tempt me..." Matt's voice fell to a whisper, and it was clear that he had thought deeply on the topic. He looked down, an umbra shading his face from view. "...It's just that..._I loved him_..."

"Huh?" Mello eyed him sceptically, breaking his chocolate bar in half with his pallid teeth. "You mean 'her', idiot."

"...?" The umbra disappeared and Matt looked at him enquiringly, before a soft laugh filled the air. "You're right...My bad; 'I loved her'."

"You really didn't kill Takada...Did you?" The blonde continued to stare at him and Matt's eyes widened in surprise for a moment.

"..." The red head suddenly sniggered and he eagerly returned his attention to his game, "Don't be stupid. Why would I kill the woman I loved? I told you from the start. It was Kira who stole the life of my love...I would never harm the one I cared for."

His last point was genuine. Mello could hear the heart in his words...

"Well I'm sure that wherever they are now, your lover is in a better place than this hellhole."

Matt suddenly stopped walking altogether. The blonde halted with a questioning expression, but the red head did not meet his gaze. "...I highly doubt that...I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Mello frowned but nodded, having not realised that the red head was so sensitive to the idea of death. "Sure...We still have a lot of journeying to do if we are to reach the lair by tomorrow morning."

"Right...Sorry about the delay." Matt started to walk once again, eyes never leaving his screen, although his fingers did not touch the buttons for a good few minutes. He was thinking deeply about something and Mello didn't feel like distracting him anymore. There relationship was already awkward enough as it stood.

-o-

Takada...It sickened the red head to even compare her to his dead lover. Nevertheless, he couldn't tell Mello the truth. He could never tell him.

The gamer still recalled the time he had confronted Takada, and he still was filled with both fear and dread by the things she had said...

One whole year ago...

_The red head was leaning against the wall of the hallway, cigarette in his mouth as he waited for the woman to appear. The white walls had been painted over by the people of the Facility in a prank against their king, for Near would be oblivious until the red head fixed the camera._

_But there was a darker reason as to why Mail had pulled the innocent 'prank'._

_Takada. That woman had spoken of her and Matt had realised the purpose of the plan too late. He knew that he had to stop her at all costs._

_As he had predicted, she did eventually pass through the hallway to reach the entrance, smiling at him pleasantly and ever so refined. "Hello Matt." She walked past him but stopped before she had left the hallway, laughing lightly. "Oh you are such a hopeless case."_

_The red head eyed her indifferently, pulling the cigarette from his mouth. "I know that you are a spy for Kira, and I know what you plan to do."_

_The woman turned, her face locked in a snide smile. "Of course you do; Kira told me already about what happened to you and your 'friend'." She laughed again and the red head narrowed his eyes darkly. "It's so tragic, isn't it? Kira killed your little lover..." Takada narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to him, "...At least...that's what you hope he did."_

_"..." Matt watched her silently, not knowing what to say._

_"But you know that he isn't dead." She stood tall and there was a sharpness in her eyes that made it unclear to tell whether she spoke truth or lie. "No, Kira likes his captives alive...They're much more fun that way~"_

_"Shut up." Matt straightened up and pulled the hunting knife from his belt. "Don't you dare speak of him like that."_

_"But it is the truth." She took a step back, cautious of the red head, but she must have loved the rush of adrenaline in her veins far too much to run. "Face it. Your little boyfriend has become a little whore...and according to Kira, he is loving every moment of it!"_

_"..." The burn of emotion felt like a stake in his chest, made only worse by his inability to disbelieve the woman._

_"You know that Kira wouldn't be foolish enough to kill him." She eyed the knife and grinned darkly, "Not when he can be of use. Whether it be as a whore or as a bargaining chip, he is much more valuable alive."_

_"No." An uncharacteristic glare crossed his face and the woman's smile finally vanished. "He is dead. His name was written, and then he died."_

_Takada was suddenly terrified. Her eyes widened in fear and she spun around to run away, but Matt had grabbed her violently by the collar of her coat and pulled her back. She fell against his chest. His knife was running through her throat before she could even scream._

His lover was dead and he refused to believe otherwise.

-x-

They stopped on the outskirts of the city, looking up at their new surroundings. A dark forest stretched out before them, grim and foreboding. "Kira's lair is in the centre of this wood, but there are Fleshlings surrounding it at all times."

"Gotcha." Mello noticed that Matt still had his attention locked on his game, and his button mashing did not let up.

The blonde sighed and turned to look at the city, scanning the area for a suitable site. "It is almost dark, so we will have to find a place to spend the night. Tomorrow we will go into the forest and we will find Kira's hideout. I have a rough idea where it is...but the place around here will be crawling with Fleshlings."

"Do you ever get the feeling that maybe Kira wants us to find him?" Mello looked at Matt, surprised, but the red head was still locked on his game.

"Why would he want us to find him?" The blonde quirked an eyebrow with intent curiosity, but all the red head did was shrug in response. What a weirdo...Why would he say things like that? If he was a spy for Kira he was very bad at not acting suspicious. "Whatever...That place has big windows, so it seems like a good place to stay for the night."

"Lead the way." Mello rolled his eyes but didn't comment as he began to walk towards the building, the gamer following at his side.

-x-

Matt looked out the window, noting the hordes of Fleshlings that lurked the streets by the light of the moon. They could tell that humans had been there earlier, but they didn't know where. The scent of salt hid their smell and disgruntled the hordes, forcing them to avoid the hotel where they took current residence.

The red head turned away from the gap in the curtains, closing them carefully so that no light from their fire could be seen. "Come away from there." Matt looked at Mello, who sat examining his cherished gun in the corner of the dirty room.

The red head looked around at the surroundings of their eighth story campsite. It was dusty and grimy, but it was one of the better rooms they had found. This place must have been five star once upon a time, but now it was in decay. Wooden furniture was starting to rot, and the regal king-sized bed had moth holes in its fabric. The metal frame was the only thing in the entire room that was still in its original state, although a tad rusted.

He was just distracting himself...Matt knew that tonight would have to be the night. He could not let Mello find Kira.

They would both be dead by tomorrow morning.

"What's wrong?" The red head snapped from his reverie, gazing curiously at the blonde who was eyeing him uncertainly. "You worried about tomorrow?"

"Well...yeah." Matt shrugged and sat down next to the blonde, leaning against the wall in front of their fire. "I mean, why wouldn't I be worried? We're going up against the man who started the apocalypse!" He laughed but there was a sorrowful tone in his voice. "We're going to die..."

"Then we die." Mello shrugged nonchalantly and Matt looked at him with reproachful eyes. "At least we tried. That is more than that fat head Near is willing to do, so I'm prepared to take any action as a victory."

"...Do you remember your last conversation with L?" Matt's expression was blank and the blonde blinked at him in surprise.

"Of course I do! He said-..." Mello cut himself off in surprise. "..."

-o-

The blonde had hit a wall... "He said..." He looked away from the red head, staring at the fire. The light danced in his eyes and words came to him without a thought to match. "...Never trust someone who won't tell you their name..." He spoke in a monotone and he was lost in the words. Once they were spoken they were astray, and he could not recall what he'd said.

"Mihael..." Mello turned and looked at the red head, expression locked in confusion...

Matt suddenly leaned forward and kissed him. All uncertainty disappeared in an instant, and he leaned into the kiss without even realising. Why did his body act this way whenever the idiot did something like this?

He felt a tongue run over his lower lip, asking for the permission that his body granted immediately. Mello registered the red head's tongue in his mouth, but lost all of his senses once the man's hands ran inside of his jacket. A moan escaped his lips as Matt's tongue began to brush against sensitive areas of his mouth, and Mello felt his own arms snake around the red head's neck. His body wanted him...

No, _he_ wanted him.

He wanted this stranger to claim every crevice for their own purposes, with no concern for their intentions.

The red head's tongue began to ravish his mouth, as if sensing the places that forced electricity to shoot up the blonde's spine. He shivered and he struggled once he remembered that he needed to breathe. The red head was the one who pulled away to let them both gasp for oxygen, but unlike last time he didn't seem able to stop. "...Matt..."

"My name is Mail..." The blonde looked at him in a daze, but wasn't surprised in the least. From the beginning he had known that the man's name had been an alias, although it had simply been a feeling.

"...Mail..." At the whispered word, his lips were brought into another titillating kiss. Mello felt the red head's body shift and soon they were both standing with the blonde leaning against the man. Their tongues rolled against one another, sending shudders up both of their bodies.

The next thing he knew they were on the bed, the red head leaning over him. Dust rose with their bodies, but they were far too entranced by the other's mouth to notice. Mello's jacket had been removed at some point before they had even reached the bed, but he had been too distracted to notice.

Matt's mouth left his own, moving down to tease his neck. Mello cried in surprise once the red head bit down on a part of scarred skin, sending a wave of pleasure coursing through his body. "Matt!" Mail continued to tease at the sensitive flesh, driving the blonde crazy with sensation. He began to claw at the red head's vest, wanting him to remove it desperately.

After what felt like a blissful eternity, the red head sat up, pulling both his vest and his shirt off in one rough motion. His bandages were loose from their day of travel, but all that Mello was concerned with was his desire for the red head. He grabbed the zipper of his leather vest and undid it as swiftly as possible, sitting up to pull it from his body.

His lips were unexpectedly pecked and he was pushed back down onto the bed once the vest was on the floor. Gloveless hands began to caress his perked nipples, fingers barely touching the pink skin. He moaned lustfully, especially once the red head began to bite at the scarred side of his neck again. Matt seemed to know where he was most sensitive, because everything he was doing to him was _amazing_.

Mail suddenly began to rub their crotches together, creating a torturous friction that completely emptied Mello's mind of thoughts. A trail of saliva ran down the blonde's chin and he continued to moan desperately, grasping at the red head's back. He could feel the hardness of the man against his own, his desperation only growing at the sensation.

A hand slipped down his chest to the waist of his pants, and Mello groaned once the man began to toy with the material. "Stop...teasing...!" Matt's teeth bit into his neck and the blonde's vision suddenly turned white with blinding pleasure. If the red head didn't hurry up the blonde would finish before they even started!

He finally felt the tugging at his pants as Mail sought to remove them, and Mello lifted his hips to help in the removal. The blonde hissed once he was exposed to the room's chilly air, but the heat radiating off the red head was enough to keep him warm. "Mello~..." The gamer buried his face against the blonde's neck while his hand began to caress the male's arousal slowly, fingers barely touching the burning skin. The blonde shuddered and moaned simultaneously, squirming in anticipation.

"Hurry up!" He was growing agitated and desperate, pressing his fingers against the red head's back. Matt sighed, although it was impossible to tell if it was in relief or in disappointment. The sound of shuffling filled his ears and he knew that the man was finally removing his own pants. Thank god!

-o-

Mello was panting raggedly below him, face filled with undying lust. His gaze ran over the red head like a wave and Matt was barely managing to keep himself from submerging himself in the very same depths. He brought three fingers to the blonde's mouth and waited for the boy to take them in, preoccupying himself by lapping at the pert nipples on his chest.

Mello sucked hungrily at his fingers, coating them in slick saliva. The red head pulled his digits from the orifice and moved them downwards, below Mello's arousal, until his fingers reached the boy's heat. Without warning or hesitation, he inserted two digits, feeling the blonde's body writhe against his own. He pushed his fingers as deep as possible, rubbing against the boy's sweet spot roughly.

"Matt!" The boy arched his hips and released abruptly with a cry, digging his nails into the red head's back. Matt moved his face down and he began to slowly lap at the fluid, sending a shiver through the blonde's body. He continued to rub his fingers against the sweet spot, occasionally thrusting his digits in and out. Mello was panting hard, clearly not entirely satisfied with his premature release. His face was flushed and a trail of saliva was running from his parted lips, and in that moment Matt was overcome with the urge to kiss him.

He pulled himself to the boy's lips and claimed them, sliding his tongue inside of the orifice without delay. Mello moaned and kissed back, pressing his own tongue against the man's, tasting himself thoroughly. Matt inserted a third finger inside of the boy's entrance, finding little reaction as he continued to distract the blonde with his mouth. His free hand began to run up and down the soft skin of Mello's side, causing the blonde to pull their lips apart.

"Fuck! Just take me already!" Mihael bucked his hips needfully, and Matt could no longer deny him. Mello was already hard again and the red head could feel the blonde's heat convulsing against his fingers. He removed his digits and lifted Mello's legs up over his shoulders, pressing his own swollen need against the pleading entrance. Without hesitation, Matt thrust inside forcefully, burying himself deep in the blonde's burning heat. "AH!"

Mello crossed his legs behind the red head's back, fingers taking a tight hold of the grimy blankets. He didn't wait for the blonde to adjust, he just began to pound in and out of him repeatedly, hitting his sweet spot with every thrust. Mihael was crying out in animalistic lust, and Matt guessed that the Fleshlings could hear him loud and clear. He was just thankful that the zombies couldn't get past their salt defence.

Matt took hold of the blonde's legs and parted them wider, allowing himself to move deeper inside of the male. Mello threw his head back in a cry, face flushed and drowned in want. He was starting to return the red head's thrusts with his own motions, slamming back against the man's need. Matt was dizzy with pleasure, and they were going so hard that the bed itself was moving in time with them.

He brought his mouth down to Mello's neck and started to tease the flesh once more while continuing his thrusts. The blonde moved his legs to wrap around Matt's waist again while bringing his hands up to claw at the man's back. The red head could feel new scars being burnt into his skin, covering the old scratch marks of a lifetime ago. However, the blonde was barely aware of anything other than pleasure.

Matt bit down on the scarred skin and the nails dug into his back like knives. "MAIL!"

The red head removed himself entirely, causing the blonde to groan in frustration. "Don't worry..." He sat up and pulled Mello up as well, into his awaiting lap. Their lips met ravenously and they began to ravish each other with their tongues. Matt brought his hands to Mello's waist and lifted him up, positioning him over his hardness before bringing him down suddenly. The blonde cried into his mouth and wrapped his arms around the red head as he began to bounce up and down on the shaft, hitting his prostate repeatedly.

Matt helped with his thrusting, slamming the blonde down in time with his motions. Mello had to pull their lips apart to cry out in ecstasy, pounding himself down with an attractive feral-ness in his actions. A film of dirty sweat covered their bodies from head to toe, and the red head's goggles, which had fallen around his neck, had grown fogged up long ago. They were both close to their release, and he could taste the intensity in the air like smoke.

He began to slam Mello down harder, connecting their lips forcefully. Moaning poured from the blonde's throat, filling their mouths with the sound of pleasure. Suddenly, Matt shoved Mihael down onto the dirty blanket, thrusting into him one last time. He embraced the man tightly and muffled his shuddered groan as he finally released inside of him, filling him with his essence.

Mello wrapped his legs tightly around the man as he too met the brink of ecstasy, releasing over their bodies for the second time that night.

The room had grown hot and their heavy breathing consumed the air. Matt's hair was drenched with his sweat and it clung to his skin desperately, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he turned his eyes to Mello's flushed face. He was panting hard, trying to catch his breath without success. Their eyes met intently and the blonde's thoughts were obvious.

Matt leaned down and connected their lips again, initiating the second round of their night of conquest.

-x-

Mello lay between the sheets, waking up slowly from his state of bliss. The other man must have woken up already, for the blonde could not feel his warmth nearby. He opened his eyes and sat up, noticing the red head sitting on the edge of the bed, back facing the blonde. He was only half dressed, with his shirt and vest still lying on the floor; he had even removed his bandages. Mello spied the scratches on the man's back, both the new and the old. Looks like Matt's dead lover had reacted similar to what Mello had. "I would never have guessed, but you're actually quite good in bed."

The fire had burnt to ash while they had slept and the room was dim with its heavily curtained windows. Matt's shoulders visibly shifted as he realised that the blonde was awake, but he didn't turn around. "..."

Mello frowned at the red head's unresponsiveness, but guessed that he was just dreading the day ahead of them. "We will leave as soon as possible. If we use the remainder of our salt we could possibly get through the forest without the Fleshlings trying to eat us every step of the way."

"No..." Matt's voice was low and coarse. "This is where it ends for the both of us." The man turned around and Mello's heart skipped a beat.

His goggles sat around his neck, revealing his eyes to the world. No longer were they an innocent blue; they were blood red and luminescent.

In his hands was a silver hunting knife, the same blade that had ended a woman's life back at the Facility...Matt _had_ been the murderer!

**...Matt really ****_was _****a spy for Kira!**

The red head got to his feet, luminous eyes staring at him with both intent and despair. "I am sorry, Mello. I didn't mean for it to escalate to this...I should have killed you back at the Facility. At least if I had killed you then, I wouldn't have to kill myself as well."

"What are you doing, Matt?" The blonde backed up against the headboard of the bed, heartbeat racing.

"I won't shoot you...You don't deserve to die in such a disgusting way." The red head watched him with the eyes of a killer. "If you don't resist, I can end this quickly and painlessly."

"Matt!" The red head leapt at him suddenly, knife held high. Mello grabbed onto his wrist, the blade barely an inch from his bare chest. He put all of his might into stopping the traitor from stabbing him, refusing to die here. HE HAD TO KILL KIRA! HE WOULDN'T DIE HERE! HE COULDN'T DIE HERE!

Mello struggled desperately, managing to free one of his legs from beneath the bed sheets. He pressed his foot against the red head's chest and kicked with all his force, sending him off the bed. Matt landed on the ground with a grunt, the knife falling from his hands.

Mello stood up, thankful that he had put on his briefs before falling asleep the night before. The red head sat up groaning, looking up at the blonde with glowing eyes. Why hadn't he ever seen the glowing red eyes before? Wait...the darkness! It was in the dark that they changed colour, and usually the man wore goggles to cover this!

He had been an agent for Kira from the very beginning.

Matt reached for the knife but Mello was quicker. He took hold of a decaying leg from the room's broken table, and he held it high. "Mello!" The wood hit the red head mercilessly. He grunted and slumped to the floor, his arms and legs growing still...but he was still breathing.

He had just knocked him unconscious...That wasn't good enough! Mello grabbed the knife from the floor and crouched next to the man, raising the blade up high. He swung it down with all intention to kill.

...The blade sunk an inch into the wooden floor, a hair's length away from the unconscious man's face. "...Fuck..." Mello groaned and clenched his forehead in his palm, cursing himself. This idiot had tried to kill him! Why was he hesitating...?

No matter how much he wanted to, he knew that he would not be able to kill this man...Even though every fibre in his brain told him to end his life, his muscles would not commit the deed. There wasn't anything he could do about him either; there was nothing to restrain him in this place, but the man probably wouldn't wake up for hours. Mello would just have to leave him here.

He took the knife in hand again and he straightened up, looking around for his clothes hastily. The red head must have folded them up while he was asleep for some strange reason, for they all sat in a neat pile on the floor. He didn't think much about the act as he pulled on his leather and grabbed his bag, also making sure to take the red head's gun and lighter while he was at it. Matt was an agent of Kira; he wouldn't have to worry about Fleshlings. The tunnel must have been an act to confuse the blonde after all.

With his own gun on his back, the red head's gun at his belt and the knife in hand, he was ready to leave. Matt still lay unconscious on the floor, and if everything went his way he wouldn't wake up until Kira was dead. Only then would the blonde be able to do something about him. Mello flung the door open and stormed out the room, ready to take on the monster face to face. Alone.

-x-

The man sat in the exact centre of the cell...well, he didn't really _sit_. His feet were on the ground and his knees were against his chest in a very strange form of crouching. He sucked on a sugar cube, the only kindness that he had been offered in this nest since his capture; a sugar cube a day.

"My plan is going perfectly..." The voice made the man look up, and he spied the silhouette of the one who had locked him up so long ago. He was known globally as Kira, but the man in the cell knew him by a different name. "I thought that that idiot might get in my way, but it seems that he just became another tool to be used. Doesn't it make you sad, L?"

The man in question licked his coveted sugar cube, paying more attention to the square than to the brunette. "I trust in my successors, Light."

"Successors?" Kira turned around to sneer at him, mocking him darkly. "They are no longer your successors, L. All three have taken on new names; they are no longer your precious little letters."

The crouching man slowly got to his feet, sauntering to the bars with his back permanently slouched. "I think you will find that they are _quite _capable. Yes, you may have one of them under your control, but they are still capable of overthrowing you."

"They're going to end up killing each other to try to beat me, L; you should know that better than anyone." Light leaned towards the bars challengingly, staring intently into the eyes of his captive. "So which one are you rooting for? You only really liked M for his social skills and his initiative. N was lacking in both of those qualities, but he reminded you so much of yourself! Oh, and should we talk about J?" Kira laughed madly, leaning his head through the bars. "A strange boy who cared more about his games than the real world...but you liked him, because he was the most loyal of the three. Especially towards the man he loved~" He pressed his nose against L's challengingly, trying to coerce a response from the raven. "And look at him now! He would have murdered M if Mello hadn't managed to get the better hand. It's a good thing that he didn't succeed. After all, I need them both to be alive for my plan to flourish."

They stood with their noses pressed for the longest of times, neither one backing down from the challenge. For the past year they had been at a stalemate of will, neither one budging in the battle. "What is the reason for this plan of yours? I know that the people of the Facility are your target, but if you wanted them dead then I'm sure you could have killed them all by now."

"You're right...I don't want them to die. They will become my followers, whether they want to or not! And it all starts with that precious letter of yours...J...Oh, I'm sorry!" He pulled away at last, a smirk on his lips. "'Matt' is what he is calling himself now! Such a bland name, don't you think?"

L's sharp eyes watched him calculatingly, and he popped the sugar into his mouth, crushing it with a decisive crunch. "So that is your plan..."

"Yes it is." A dark shadow crossed the brunette's features, and his smile only widened with cruelty. "Matt is going to write down Near's name in my notebook!"


	5. The Forest

Dead Note

AkatsukiMemberWoolfy

MattMello

Please Review/Comment!

Chapter 5

-x-

Mello ran through the woods, throwing pinches of salt as he fled the light. He could hear the Fleshlings surrounding him, but he knew that he could not stop running for even a moment. Despite the morning sun, the woods only offered darkness and shadow, with no sanctuary to be found in its depths.

While he ran he thought about Matt, and about what a complete idiot he had been for failing to see the blatancy that the man had been a spy. On their first night away from the Facility, he had seen the truth in the gamer's eyes. They had been red then, although Mello had thought that he was merely hallucinating. Matt had definitely killed Takada as well! How heartless would a man have to be to kill the love of his life? How far gone into the void to not feel a thing...?

Sadness mixed with his adrenaline. He knew what the real issue was. From the start he had known that Matt had been hiding something, but Mello had been wishing the entire time that his thoughts were misled. He had _wanted_ the red head to be innocent...

The blonde was brought back to reality when he spied the red eyes awaiting him, and he quickly ran to the right. No luck, there were only more eyes. He was forced to stop his sprint, turning briefly in all directions.

Black and red...Nothing but black and red.

With no other option, he pulled out a handful of salt and began to form a circle around himself. The monsters raced towards their prey, reaching him just as he finished his silvery pattern in the grass.

They moved within a metre of the salt circle but ventured no further, circling him on all sides. Wails and screams filled the air as the beasts watched the blonde with glowing eyes of crimson caution. Shit...This looked like the end.

He was surrounded on all sides in a place where light could not reach. The Fleshlings couldn't reach him but he couldn't escape either. With a limited supply of food, and an even more limited supply of water, it would only be a matter of days until he ran out. Then he would starve...Then he would thirst...Then he would die.

His entire body shuddered as the burden of hopelessness weighed down upon him, sending him to the ground. Mello sat soberly and began to think about what he was going to do. He fumbled around with his bag, trying to find his last bar of chocolate. Never had there been a time where he had needed the confectionary more to calm his nerves. He would think of a way out of this...

His hands felt something and after a moment he realised that it was only Matt's lighter. He lit it smoothly, and the Fleshlings flinched but did not retreat...If it came down to it, he would burn down the world around him to escape...

The light of the flame suddenly caught onto something in his bag, and Mello drew the object with a breath. The hunting knife he had taken from the idiot...

Light from the flame flickered over the fine blade, reflecting soft rays in multiple directions, but the point that managed to interest him most was the small carving at the base of the blade, forcing him to narrow his eyes as he deciphered it in seconds...

M.

...But why did he find that so strange? Matt's name had begun with an M anyway...But still...

...!

A hand grabbed his mouth from behind and another took hold of his wrist, forcing him to drop the blade onto the grass. Matt had found him! Matt was going to kill him! It was all over!

"Why hello, Mello~" The voice was low and strangely familiar, but it certainly wasn't the red head this time. "It has been awhile~"

-o-

Matt woke alone in the dark room, eyes dazed but coloured their original blue...What the hell had happened? He looked around but could not see Mello anywhere...Shit!

The red head felt at his belt, cursing once he realised that the idiot had stolen his gun. Mello had escaped and the Facility was doomed...No! Matt got to his feet and grabbed his bag unceremoniously, not even checking the remaining contents. He would not run away! He would not forgive himself if he ran away _again_!

-x-

The tank sat on the fringe of the forest, with the group of strangers watching the darkness with anxious eyes...all but one. "Kira's lair must be through these trees." Near twirled a lock of hair between his fingers, and it was obvious that he was completely uninterested in his surroundings. "How would you recommend we continue our pursuit, Commander Rester?"

"...I don't know if it would be wise to enter with the tank..." The soldier looked around slowly, eyes suddenly widening. "Look!"

His comrades turned in the direction he had pointed, all noticing the human shape running in broad daylight. The soldiers lifted their guns as the figure ran towards them, but the shadow only slowed down its speed. Near recognised the individual immediately and turned his entire body in the direction of the man, expression never changing. "Rester, Givanni and Lidner; please put your weapons down."

They appeared alarmed by the order but followed it begrudgingly after a few moments. "Yes sir..."

The man slowed down to a walk, finally reaching them. "Near, what are you doing out here?" Matt's face was genuinely surprised and the albino had already noticed that he was unarmed.

"I followed the trail left by you and Mello. I plan to capture Kira myself." Near looked around but failed to find the blonde anywhere. "Where is Mello?"

"Last night while he was keeping watch duty I woke up just in time to stop him from stabbing me through the chest! He attacked me, and I was barely able to escape with my life! I don't quite remember what happened, but he managed to disarm me and knock me unconscious..." Matt frowned and straightened up, readjusting the strap of his bag. "The fact is he attacked me and ran...He has fled to find Kira..."

"I see..." Near crouched on the ground, knowing that he would require all of his intellectual abilities to decide upon his next course of action. "Why would he attack you and go to fight Kira alone?"

"He hasn't gone to fight him..." Matt's eyes were dark blue in the morning light, with the sun reflecting off the goggles around his neck. He certainly looked different with them off... "Mello is a spy."

All eyes widened at the accusation, and Near was the most confused by it. Everything had led the albino to believe that Matt was the Kira spy sent to infiltrate the Facility. What would Kira have gained if Mello were the spy...? "That is a notable accusation...May I ask for your proof on the matter?"

"He attacked me, stole my weapons, and left me to be eaten by Fleshlings. I think that is all the proof I need." Matt almost glared, clenching his fists in irritation. "Mello is a spy for Kira."

"You killed Takada, correct?" Near's eyes were sharp and his hair fiddling had stopped.

The red head did not hesitate, and the albino noticed that the man seemed different than he had back at the Facility...What had happened to him over the past few days? "Yes, I killed Takada."

Guns turned on him, and Near shouted at his soldiers without even raising his voice. "Weapons down. I have known that Matt was the one to kill Takada from the beginning."

"Yet you never confronted me on that." From his jacket, the man pulled a cigarette, and he began to fumble around in his bag for a lighter. "I don't need a reason to kill trash like her. She was a spy for Kira as well, and you had waltzed right into her trap."

The man continued to search for a lighter but grew only more irritated once it was obvious that he couldn't find one. "Her trap?" Near tasted the word and wondered what the red head was talking about.

"Yes, her trap. I killed her to save you and the people of the Facility." Matt chewed on the cigarette, refusing to forget about the tobacco, despite his lack of flame. "But you knew that, didn't you? That was why you never confronted me face to face."

"No." Near closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the situation at hand. "I didn't confront you because you were of value to the Facility. That was the one and only reason. If you had been of no use to us I would have ordered to have you thrown into the moat with the dogs."

"Look Near, I'm going to go after Mello. I can still stop him from falling into Kira's plan...but I need help." The albino looked at him sceptically, not knowing whether he could trust this man or not. Why would Mello be a spy? It did not make any logical sense!

"I could help..." Near finally straightened up again, never taking his eyes from the red head. "But, in return, you have to give me reason to trust you..."

"A reason to trust me, N?" The albino grew curious with the nickname, and the red head threw his cigarette on the ground. "I can give you that." As he spoke, he stepped on the cigarette, smearing the scent of death into the gravel. "I am J."

-x-

Mello came to, feeling sick and dazed. He was tied with ropes, and the room was uncomfortably warm. Where was he...? The blonde looked around, finding the scope was lit with two red torches, casting fiery lights in all directions. The shadows danced around him, only worsening his nausea and feeling of foreboding.

"I see you are awake." Mello recognised the voice from earlier and his eyes immediately turned to the man who entered the room. He stood on a floor above the blonde, the two levels connected by twin marble staircases. The man now stood above him, standing in front of a large ornate table while clearly smirking down at the blonde. "It is so nice to see you again, Mello."

"KIRA!" The blonde bore his teeth at the man, as if he were a feral dog. "I HAVE COME TO SET L FREE!"

"Of course you have." Kira laughed and Mello fought against his restraints, but found he could not free himself. "Oh, but it seems you have woken up sooner than I thought you would. The party hasn't even started yet!" The brunette pulled two objects from his jacket and placed both down on the table in front of him. Were they...notebooks? "But don't worry your pretty little head~. Your little friend will be here soon."

His little friend...? So that was it; Kira was waiting for Matt's arrival. Mello felt a pit in his stomach, remembering how he had actually trusted that bastard! He just hoped that there was still a way to stop Kira's plan...No! There was always a way! "So how long has Matt been one of your little spies?"

Kira laughed again, as if he found amusement in the question. "What's wrong? Have you grown to love that little idiot?" Mello flinched at the word and Kira's expression finally fell. "My god...You really have fallen for him! I don't know which one of you is the more stupid, in any case."

"SHUT UP!" Mello glared at the man, trying to kill him with his eyes. "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"

"What I have done?" A cruel laugh filled the room, the crackle of the fire not even competing with the snigger. "What I have done? You don't even know half the things that I have done! All for this plan to work! It took me three years to plan this."

"Well I hate to break it to you, but you're not going to succeed! I won't fall for your tricks! You cannot control me!"

"Don't you see, Mihael?" Kira leaned over the table, eyeing the blonde like a piece of meat. "I don't need to control you. All you have to do is sit there and look pretty!" There was a knock at the wooden door to Mello's left, and all eyes turned towards it. "Come in." Two Fleshlings entered the room, looking hungry and agitated. Between them was a defeated red head, eyes cast downwards in woe. "Ah! You're here at last Mail! Now that the cast is all on stage, we can begin!"

Matt was thrown by the Fleshlings, clenching his teeth in pain as he slid across the marble flooring. The blonde glared at him, but the red head did not even meet his gaze, lying curled up on the floor like a wretched snail. "Matt..." Mello spoke the name venomously and a visible shiver ran through the man's body.

Slowly he sat up, casting his large eyes towards the blonde, regretfully. "...Mello..." The man was wound up with ropes as well, and he struggled to find a comfortable position. Red flickered off his gaze, and Mello couldn't tell if it was the reflection of the flames or if it was just his eyes.

"I must say, Matt, I was very sceptical about your involvement in my plan." Kira shrugged his shoulders, a cruel smile in place. "You were the wildcard on which everything rested. I was very tempted to kill you, just to be sure that my plan would go off without a hitch. Loyalty is such a strange trait to trust." The brunette began to descend the staircase, a sway in his movements as he took one small step at a time. "But it would have been so much more difficult if you weren't involved, which was the only reason I let you live."

Mello frowned at the red head, who was no longer looking at him, nor at the killer descending the stairs. Kira had considered killing his own spy...?

"If you both had died, my careful planning would have gone to waste~" Kira reached the lower level of the room, moving in front of the blonde. "But I was right all along, J...you couldn't bring yourself to kill him." The brunette leaned down and caught Mello's chin in his fingers, forcing piercing blue eyes to look up at him. "This boy is your one weakness."

"Get away from him, Light." Matt's voice was akin to a dog's growl, and the brunette let go with a laugh.

"So possessive!" Light continued to chuckle and Mello sneered up at him, his body shaking in repulsion. Whatever attraction he felt for Matt's touch was the polar opposite of Kira's. Almost like the pull and push of magnets. "Let me tell you a story! I need to savour this moment!" Kira moved between them, standing tall and domineering above the silent duo. "Two years ago, I had my Fleshlings track down a certain group of people. After one year of this, I finally found my opportunity to strike. Three were captured, and the others were devoured like rats." He put a single finger up, counting down his captives. "The first was a genius who had been on my tail for years. His name...was L."

"What?" Mello's eyes widened in shock, "That's impossible! L was captured only a few days ago! Not an entire year!" He looked over at Matt, searching for reassurance, but the red head just stared at the ground grimly. It was obvious that he was dreading what was to come.

"The second..." Kira continued without arguing, lifting a second finger to join the first, "...a computer hacker who was a successor of L...His name...was J...or should I say 'Matt', as that is his new name after all...or do you think Mail suits him more?"

"...!" Mello resisted to urge to look at the red head again as the information hit him hard. Matt had known L all along?

"And the last...the third." Three fingers now stood, shadows of the digits flickering across the walls sinisterly. "An irascible man...and Matt's dear little lover." He laughed and his fingers fell as he straightened his stance, if that were even possible. "This third man...His name was M." Laughter filled the room, and Kira struggled to calm himself after a suspenseful moment of cruelty. Slowly he made his way back up the staircase, speaking only when he was once again in front of the desk. "You Mello! _You_ were Matt's dead little lover all along!"

...

He was speechless. What had he said? Matt's lover who had been killed by Kira...was himself? But...he wasn't dead! Besides, he had only met the red head a few days ago! "What?" The blonde turned to Matt for answers, but found only support for Kira's words spread across the red head's face. He still stared downwards with an expression that was truly pained. "No! Matt is one of your spies! You're both just trying to trick me!"

"Matt? One of my spies?" Kira did not laugh but he was clearly amused by the assumption. "My plan really did go off without a hitch!" The man picked up the two notebooks and showed them to the blonde, a wide grin in place. "Let me introduce you to my two notebooks. Misa Amane, that woman that you killed last time you were here, may have explained it to you once already, but allow me to treat you once again." He waved the notebook with the black cover first, showing his interest in the book. "This is called a 'Dead Note'. With this I can turn anyone into what you call a Fleshling, as long as I have that person's name and face."

"So that's how you did it?" Mello glowered at the man who had brought on the apocalypse, bearing his teeth in aggression. "Some fucking paper is capable of turning someone into a fucking zombie?"

"I would show you how it works, but I'm afraid I don't have anyone to spare for a demonstration." Light placed the notebook down and he waved the second, which bore a white cover and had strange symbols on it. "But this is the notebook you should be more concerned over. With the Dead Note I started the apocalypse, but with this Life Note I will end it. The world has been cleansed of most of its scum, and all that is left for me to do is to guide those I have deemed fit to live towards a brighter tomorrow."

"A 'Life Note'?" Mello sniggered, trying to replenish his sense of pride at the hands of this man. "That sounds even more stupid and unbelievable than the fucking Dead Note! Let me guess; the Life Note is able to bring people back from the dead or from their Fleshling state?"

"Sadly, it isn't." Kira shrugged and placed it down on the desk as well, eyeing his captives as he mindlessly turned to a random page of the notebook. "The Life Note follows the same basic rules of requiring a person's name and face, but they won't die from having their name written...No, not unless I command them to die." The fire burnt in the monster's eyes and that smug expression suddenly reformed. "Instead they become my puppets."

"Your...puppets?" Mello stared in surprise, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yes, my puppets...to an extent anyway. I am able to alter emotions, actions...even memories with this notebook...but there are a few flaws." His menacing smile fell into oblivion, replaced by a distasteful thin line. "I cannot have that person kill another, they cannot verbally profess artificial emotions I give them, and the main flaw...I cannot have them write down someone else's name in either notebook." He lifted up the Life Note, showing them a page with writing sprawled across it in angry handwriting. "'Mihael Keehl, loses all of his memories, especially those of his lover, Mail J'."

Mello's breath caught in his throat and he turned to Matt, noticing that the man was shaking. However, he could not tell whether it was in anguish or in ire. "...Matt...Is he telling the truth?"

-o-

The red head felt a stab of pain in his chest, and he just wanted to rip Kira's head off with his own bare hands. "Yes...We were lovers..." He still remembered that fateful day all too well, when he, M and L had all been captured. Light had actually been an acquittance of the group and he had known that L had had a soft spot for the brunette. When they had been caught, L had immediately been placed into a cell with Kira attending to him. In the mean time, Mello and Matt had been in the very same room they sat in now, watched over by a childish blonde woman.

There had been something strange about her, for she had known their real names just by looking at them...

_"Welcome! My name is MisaMisa!" The woman giggled and leaned on the desk playfully, smiling down at the two captives. "Light-darling is currently taking care of your friend, so I'm here to entertain you until he gets back!"_

_"Fuck off!" Mihael glowered at the female and Mail lowered his eyes at the blonde, wishing he would keep quiet for once._

_"That's not any way to speak to a lady!" She heavily pouted and crossed her arms, now sitting partway on the desk. "You think I want to watch over you losers? I'm only keeping my eyes on you two while Light is dealing with your friend, Lawliet."_

_"..." The name was unfamiliar to the duo, but they realised its significance immediately. "Where did you get information like that?" Mail frowned but no one could see with his goggles blocking the way._

_"What? You mean his name? I could see it when he was brought through of course! I know your names as well, Mail Jeevas and Mihael Keehl...Your names are really strange, FYI...I'm just happy that Light will no longer need that slut Takada back at the Facility!" She raised an eyebrow and kicked her legs, clearly bored by the situation. "All three of you are special; Light has told me that I am not to write your names in the Dead Note." Misa picked up a black notebook and thumbed through the pages, confusing both captives. "If your name is written down you turn into a mindless zombie...but apparently you're both too good for that."_

_She huffed and dropped it onto the desk, instead picking up a different book with a white cover. "That's fucking ridiculous!" Mihael laughed loudly, clearly irking off the blonde. Mail wanted to hit the man upside the head, not wanting either of them to die because of M's damn attitude. "A notebook that can turn people into zombies? Just a heads up; this is reality, not some stupid horror movie! I know it's the apocalypse and all, but even I can't bring myself to believe in crap like that!"_

_Mail began to fumble against his ropes, remembering that both he and Mihael still had their weapons. Misa had forgotten to take them away when Kira had left them. In the chaos that had happened prior to their capture, Mihael's knife had ended up in J's possession, and he attempted to reach the blade at his belt...Success!_

_M noticed the triumph and turned back to Misa, although he was now grinning widely as he sought to keep her attention away from the red head. "Your little 'Light-Darling' is taking an awfully long time...Perhaps L has managed to overpower him...Maybe in more ways than one~"_

_"What are you saying?" Misa perked up at the comment, angered eyes set on staring at the audacious blonde. "If you have something you have to say about Light then you can tell me about it right now!"_

_"Oh, I was merely thinking out loud." Mihael's grin grew sadistic and he straightened up as much as possible with the restraints in place. "I mean, Light and L have always possessed a certain...'bond', if you know what I mean. So I just wonder if they are really 'interrogating' each other at the moment...I know they're definitely interrogating with their mouths, but do you really think they're interrogating with words...?"_

_Mail continued to slowly cut at the bindings, trying to not draw too much attention. "SHUT UP! MISA KNOWS THAT LIGHT IS NOT LIKE THAT!"_

_"I disagree." Mihael glared darkly at the woman, "Face it. Light has never cared about you. He only cares about your little naming-trick; if you couldn't do that then he would have gotten rid of you long ago!"_

_"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" She leapt off the desk, snapping the white notebook open with a growl. "I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO KILL YOU, BUT I CAN WIPE THOSE THOUGHTS FROM YOUR HEAD! IT'LL ONLY TAKE FORTY SECONDS!"_

_Mail watched as she started to write and he tried to cut faster, knowing that the ropes were close to breaking. M may not have believed the girl, but J wasn't so sceptical._

_"Mihael Keehl..." She read aloud as she briskly wrote down in the notebook, declaring her intentions openly. "Loses all...of his memories...especially those..." The red head felt the ropes starting to snap. "...of his lover..." Finally the cords broke and he reached for his gun as quickly as possible. "Mail J-"_

_A gunshot cut her off and blood splayed across the wall behind her. "Boom, headshot." Mail got to his feet and ran over to Mihael, who was suddenly shaking. "What's wrong?"_

_"J...Run!" The blonde was unusually terrified and Mail quickly crouched in front of him, confused by his lover. "I don't think she was lying about that notebook stuff...I suddenly feel sick..." What was with this change of heart?_

_"Don't be stupid, M; we have to get out of here!" He tried to undo the blonde's restraints, but Mihael just barked at him._

_"Leave me! You heard what she said! In less than forty seconds I will no longer be myself! I fucked up!" Mail stared, shocked at his lover, not knowing what to do._

_"Mihael..." The blonde leaned up and kissed him. Nothing more than a peck, but Mail could understand its intentions. A farewell..._

_"I love you, you idiot! But I'm dead, Mail...Go to the Facility and live...We tried and we fail-" The blonde suddenly cut himself off, his expression turning blank in a matter of seconds. Realisation struck the red head hard...Everything the woman had said was true. He had seen it in the blonde's expression of blankness. M's memories were gone...Even though he still breathed, the man he loved was no more... "..." Mihael closed his eyes and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious._

_He had to take him! No, it would be impossible to get to the Facility with the both of them; it would be impossible enough with just the red head. He knew that he would have to leave his lover behind...No._

_His lover was dead. He had died at the hands of Kira. His last request had been for the red head to live. He planned to keep that promise._

_So he ran from everything. From L, from Kira, and from his lost love. He didn't think to grab the notebooks; he didn't think at all. He just had to survive. For M._

"It's such a shame that you killed her before she wrote down your full name, Mail. That would have come in handy. Misa really messed up my plan...I needed you both here and with your memories in tact." Light descended the staircase once again, smile not returning. "Unfortunately once a memory is forgotten with the notebook I cannot return or retrieve it, no matter what. Her idiocy set me back a year in my plan...but it doesn't matter. You are here now, and you have what I need."

"What is it that you need...?" Mello clearly was still trying to take in the information, and he was deliberately avoiding the red head now. "And why are you doing this?"

"For justice..." The answer was simple and the confused expression of the blonde must have sparked something in Light. "You may not remember it, but this world was once a rotten place...far more rotten than it is now. The monsters that lurked the streets were not Fleshlings; they were human. Wretched mongrels that didn't even deserve to be born. They plagued the human race and tarnished its purity. Five years ago, when I started this apocalypse, I was only in possession of one notebook, and that was the Dead Note. I wrote down the names of criminals, seeking to have them executed. They were already monsters; I just wanted to show the world what they truly were beneath their human facade. But it didn't work...Police did not kill them, they just became the playthings for scientists to study. They killed more innocent people than they had as humans...and I realised that the world could not be saved, not in its current state." Light reached the bottom of the staircase, a dark umbra shading his eyes from their vision. "So I turned more and more people into Fleshlings...Poor, rich, young, old...criminals, and even innocent people. I turned as many as I could. I knew that the society created from such chaos was the only way to redeem the human race. Only when people find a threat greater than each other are they ever capable of true peace...The people who are left after such a storm will no longer bicker amongst themselves...They would be only grateful of the Fleshling elimination, and a new peaceful era would finally come to pass. That is why I started this apocalypse, and that is why I now seek to end it..."

"...That still doesn't explain why you need us..."

Matt spoke up at last, revealing the knowledge that Kira had sought for all these years. "He needs someone who has seen Near's face, and he needs a reason for that person to be willing to write down his name..."

"You've had a lot of time to think about it, Mail." The shadow disappeared and Light crouched down in front of Mello again, caressing his cheek with false affection. "I've missed you Mello~ My little spy. I sent you to the Facility with a story about L and I knew that one way or another you would come into contact with Near. I had not been counting on Mail's influence though...For the most part I had a Shinigami following you to keep me updated on your movements. Of course you couldn't see my dear friend Ryuk, but he could see you all too well. My only problem would have been Matt...If he had actually grown a pair and worked up the courage to kill you both. If he had done that then my plan would have been ruined...For you see, you have **both** seen Near's face~"

"..." Mello spat in the man's eye, his face a crease of glare and hatred. "I will never write his fucking name down."

Kira rubbed the spit from his eye, but did not lose his temper, although his voice took on a menacing tone. "Poor little Mello~ I had to erase your memories again before I sent you on your way. We had so many fun times together..." He leaned down and collected his lips in a kiss.

An anger akin to a savage dog coursed through Matt's body, and he bore his teeth like a mongrel. "LET GO OF HIM! DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING TOUCH HIM!" Mello struggled against the kiss and soon Kira let go, eyes turning to the red head delightfully.

"Down boy." He straightened up and pulled a pistol from his belt; Matt's pistol. "You don't want me to put him down, do you? Even without his memory he is still your little lover~ He has all the same mannerisms, the same attitude, even the same addictions. You even realised that his body still remembers you~"

Yes, he had realised. That was why Mello had not been able to break free whenever they had kissed. Mihael's body still desperately craved the red head, even if his mind only saw him as a mere stranger.

Light chanted in a singsong voice, far too amused for his own good. "He is still your li-ttle lo-ver boy~" The gun was suddenly aimed at Mello's head, and a click signified that it was loaded and ready. "Now then... Ryuk also told me that that little letter prodigy wasn't too far behind you in your journey...So then, I have a proposition for you. WriteNateRiver's name down in the white notebook, telling him to join me in my lair with his face uncovered. Write his name down...or your lover dies for good."


	6. The Lair

Dead Note

AkatsukiMemberWoolfy

MattMello

Please Review/Comment!

Chapter 6

-o-

Mello stared at Matt, realising what he had warned him about only yesterday...

_I fear that I will make the wrong choice..._

This was what he had meant. The decision between saving Mello's life and not writing down Near's name. Matt had known all along what Kira's plan had been, but he had not been able to foil his plot...He had not been able to kill either of them. "Don't do it, Matt! You can't write down Near's name!"

"...I have to..." The red head's voice was low and desperate. "...I can't lose you again...I barely survived the first time..."

"...Matt..." Mello didn't know what to say. This man was willing to do anything for him...he had even said so himself. To save his life he was willing to risk a thousand others...

"Untie me and I will write down his name." Kira laughed and walked over to the red head, pulling a familiar knife from his belt.

"This is the same blade you used to kill Takada, right?" Light examined the silver, a grin on his lips. "You at least managed to ruin that side plan on mine. By revealing herself as a spy, she was able to get Near to show her his face. All she needed to do was leave the Facility during her night of watch and I would no longer have had need for you...or for Mello." He shrugged and began to cut at the red head's ropes, knowing that he wouldn't betray the brunette while the blonde's life was on the line. "Near could have executed you for murder, but you killed her all the same."

"For the things she said I would have killed her whether she was a spy or not." Matt broke free of the ropes and stood up, making no move against Light. "I knew that Near would not confront me on the matter."

"Yes, and if he did then you could have just told him that you were J. You could have told him about my plan, but you chose to leave him in the dark. After all, if he had found out then he would have killed Mihael the moment he walked into the Facility. You wished that your little lost lover would never come back into your life, but you prepared for the possibility all the same..." Light grinned and Matt moved in front of Mello, crouching down to his height.

"...I'm sorry." He leaned forward and connected their lips in a kiss. Unlike the time Kira had kissed him, he immediately leaned into the red head's lips, his body seeking the man like a moth to a flame. Hands began to explore his body and a soft moan escaped the blonde's lips against his approval. He wanted to hate the red head for choosing his life over the others, but he couldn't bring himself to blame him.

"Okay, enough of that." Mail pulled away as Kira aimed his gun at Mello once again, "You have a job to do." Matt nodded and began to ascend the left staircase, his feet heavy with dread. "You remember what I told you to write?"

"What is the current time?"

Kira hesitated temporarily before looking away for a moment, towards his wristwatch. "3:58pm."

"DON'T DO IT, MATT!" The blonde glared at the red head but his gaze was avoided at all costs. "IF YOU WRITE DOWN NEAR'S NAME HE WILL KILL US BOTH ANYWAY! **YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO HIS TRAP!**"

Matt picked up the pen and flipped the white notebook open to an empty page. Pen met paper and he spoke aloud as he wrote. "NateRiver...enters Kira's hideout alone...at exactly 4pm...with his face...uncovered."

A wave of nausea coursed through Mello's body...Why Matt?

A bout of mad laughter rose from Kira, filling the flaming air with its thickness. "YES! YES! YES! JUST AS PLANNED!" More laughter. "FINALLY I HAVE WON! THE WORLD CAN NOW BE REBORN IN JUSTICE!" He looked at his watch, the fire in his eyes reflecting a vicious red glow. "3:59! IN LESS THAN A MINUTE MY PLAN WILL BE ACHIEVED!"

Mello felt sick...Why was he feeling so ill all of a sudden? Was it because Matt had played along with the plan even though he had known about it all along? That fathead Near! He should have just killed them both! Mello could already imagine him now, pacing down the hallway towards the room, twirling pale hair in his grimy little hands. The same stupid pyjamas he wore day to day! His-...!

Huh?

Mello suddenly looked at Matt, seeing the red head's face twinge in caution and...triumph? 4pm.

The door suddenly opened and a stranger stood in the hallway beyond. He wore strange plain pyjamas and he had hair that was oddly white. The boy twirled a lock in his hands, and his face...was covered by a mask.

...This was Near?

Light stared in shock, especially once three soldiers ran past the albino. "WHAT?" The soldiers grabbed him and jerked the knife away from his hand.

Mail picked up the white notebook and read what he had truly written aloud. "'Mihael Keehl and Mail Jeevas both forget what NateRiver looks like'. Checkmate Light." Matt suddenly lifted up his shirt and revealed a plastic bag that had been taped to his chest all along. It was filled to the brim with a brownish liquid...Petrol? "You see, I ran into Near on my way over here. I told him that in order to beat you once and for all we would have to work together. I informed him about the notebooks, and I told him that I could trick you into thinking that he would come alone with his face uncovered, and we set the time of 4pm." He pulled the bag of petrol from his chest and flung it onto the table, the brown liquid bursting from the plastic like a water balloon, drenching both notebooks.

"Yes," Near's voice was even and bored, "although I was still sceptical about the plan...especially once I learnt of the existence of supernatural notebooks."

Matt grinned triumphantly and suddenly drew forth his lighter. Mello paled and realised that the red head must have stolen it from his pocket while they had kissed. That devil! Nevertheless, Mello had never wanted to kiss someone so badly before! That idiot was a genius! A stupid fucking genius!

"I WON'T BE BEATEN SO EASILY!" Suddenly the other door burst open, a horde of Fleshlings standing in its wake. "KILL THEM ALL!" The zombies screamed and flocked into the room, a mob of about twenty.

"BURN THE BOOKS, MATT!" Mello cried out, knowing that they were still unarmed. The man hesitated as they both realised that the Fleshlings were headed straight for the easiest prey; the tied up blonde.

Matt closed the lighter and ran, forgetting about everything else entirely. "Matt! Catch!" Lidner threw something across the room and Mail caught it in one sweep of his hand. The hunting knife.

He jumped off the top level's ledge and was at Mello's side in moments, desperately cutting at the ropes while two of the soldiers gunned down the first line of the zombie flock. "Forget about me!" Mello gritted his teeth and stared at where the notebooks sat, drenched in petrol and waiting to be lit. "Burn the fucking books!"

The first zombie reached them both and Matt had to pull the knife away to stab the cretin in the neck, killing it mid-yowl. "I won't leave you, babe! Not again!" He lunged forward to stab two more, keeping them away from his lover. Mello began to pull at the loosened ropes, trying to break what little of the cord remained.

Near was backed against a wall. Gevanni and Lidner were struggling to protect him while Commander Rester fought to keep a tight hold of Light. "We used all of our grenades getting through the forest!"

Kira laughed madly and continued to struggle against the man's grasp. "IT'S OVER! YOU CAN'T FIGHT THEM OFF FOREVER!"

Matt suddenly pulled out his lighter, flicking it on. It was impossible for him to reach the notebooks now, so what was he thinking...

In one swift motion, Mail Jeevas had thrown the lit lighter across the room. Everyone held their breath as the fire flew brightly, aimed at the table...

It hit the table, but bounced off before the flame could lick at the liquid.

All hope was lost once another mob of zombies ran through the open door, joining the first. "Matt, I fucking hate you sometimes!" Mello managed to snap the cord and his rope fell to the ground, but he had no weapon to fight with...oh wait!

Mihael wrenched his crucifix from around his neck, pulling the end of it off in one motion, revealing the hidden blade from within. A Fleshling leaped close and he dug the knife deep into its skull repeatedly until it was crippled on the floor. Matt and Mello stood back to back, fighting the demons that surrounded them with every inch of courage that remained.

But they all knew it was hopeless. There were only six of them, and there were thousands of Fleshlings all seeking their flesh.

They were as good as dead...

"You are getting sloppy, Light." All eyes turned to the new voice, noticing a man standing on the second level of the room. The Fleshlings were indifferent about him; perhaps they had grown too used to his scent to see him as prey. "Are my 'little letters' too great for you to handle?"

None other than L stood before the mahogany table, with Matt's lighter held delicately between his fingers. "You're alive!" Matt's voice was shocked as he sliced through the neck of an approaching Fleshling, his eyes locked on their predecessor.

"Yes, but my sugar levels are quite low." He shrugged and almost pouted, panda eyes turned towards the notebooks. He lit the lighter with a simple flick. "I think it best to end this now."

"NO L!" Light struggled desperately and finally managed to break free of Rester's grasp, rushing through the swamp of decaying flesh. "WE CAN STILL SAVE THIS WORLD! MATT! STOP HIM! I CAN BRING BACK MELLO'S MEMORIES IF YOU STOP HIM!"

"That's impossible. You said so yourself, Light." The red head looked at the detective and nodded. "Do it, L."

"Woops." L dropped the lighter over the notebooks, taking a step back as he did so. "My bad."

The Dead Note and the Life Note went up in a blaze, flames almost reaching the ceiling.

The Fleshlings screamed as their names were burnt, writhing in agony as they began to turn to ash. Matt linked arms with Mello, keeping him close as they both watched the end of the apocalypse and the dawn of a brave new world.

-x-

He awoke with a start, wondering when he had fallen asleep. His mind throbbed and the world around him was a blur as he sat up. The first thing he registered was the feeling of sheets covering him and the second was the slouched figure standing next to the bed. "Welcome back, Light."

The brunette looked up at the man and it took some time for his vision to return to normal. "...Ryuzaki?" He looked around, finding himself in an unfamiliar room surrounded by white walls. "Where are we?"

"Do not worry, Light Yagami." L childishly put a hand on his head, ruffling his brown hair as though he were an infant. "You have been asleep, but you are finally awake to help us rebuild."

"Asleep?" He frowned in confusion but he could not remember anything except for his own name and the man beside him. "How long have I been asleep?"

"For five years you have been possessed by a Shinigami." L removed his hand and slid his fingers into his pockets. "You became a villain by the name of Kira and you brought on the apocalypse."

"I did what?" Light stared at the detective, disbelieving the words he spoke. "That's impossible, Ryuzaki! I couldn't have started the apocalypse!"

"You didn't, Light. It was Kira who started it." Light looked at his hands, realising that he was trembling. "You are currently in a building named the Facility. This is where the survivors in this region lived during your reign, but there are other places like this with survivors. Now that the Fleshlings have been wiped out it is finally possible to rekindle society."

"I see..." Light pulled the covers off and he got to his feet, wobbling as if he hadn't stood for days. "I have to help then...If I really have been possessed these past few years, then I have to regain my identity...I need people to know that I am not their enemy any longer."

"That will not be a problem with the majority of the people." L placed a hand on his shoulder, although Light didn't know who he was trying to support. "Most people here don't know anything about you, or your involvement in the apocalypse. There is only a small few, and most understood me when I told them that you had been possessed...although there was one who-"

"Mello! You heard what L said!"

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE!" The door suddenly opened, revealing two strangely familiar people...Oh! J and M! He remembered them! They both stopped at the sight of Light, and the blonde suddenly leapt at him. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Light stepped back but it didn't matter since the red head had already grabbed 'Mello' from behind, resisting the man's struggle. "He's not the same man, Mello! This is Light; Kira took control of him. It isn't his fault."

"LET GO, MATT! I NEED TO AT LEAST PUNCH HIM!" Mello continued to struggle but to no avail.

"You can punch me instead if it helps, but you can't punch him, Mello." Matt sighed a breath of cigarette smoke, shaking his head. "The past few days have been stressful for everyone."

"TRY THE PAST FUCKING YEAR!" Mello glowered but had stopped his struggling at last, and Matt was finally able to let go of him. "OR JUST THROW IN MY ENTIRE PAST WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!" The blonde looked like he really was going to punch either Light or Matt, but instead he aimed his fist at the wall, hitting it hard. He hissed and glared at the brunette before storming out of the room.

Matt sighed and looked back to Light, shrugging his shoulders. "He'll come around eventually...if we're lucky...It's good to have you back to your usual self."

"It's...good to be back..." Light wondered what he had done to make M so vengeful towards him...It must have been bad.

Matt turned and left in pursuit of Mello while L just pressed a finger against his lip. "He will never trust you, but perhaps one day he will accept you. After all, he can't even remember the torture that you put him through...I am the only one who knows, and I will never speak of it to anyone."

Light didn't ask and Light didn't want to know. It hadn't been him...

It hadn't been him.

-o-

Mello was storming down the hallway of the Facility and Matt was pacing behind him, waiting for the blonde to calm down. "I can't stand that man! We should have left him to burn alive in his lair!"

"I know you find it hard to believe but Kira and Light are two different people." Matt picked up his pace to walk at the blonde's side, attempting to reassure him. "I know you can't remember our time spent with L prior to your memories being erased, but if he says that Light was possessed then I do not have a single doubt."

"You're too loyal, Mail." Mello glared at him but could not remain angry at the red head. It was still so strange. At times this man still felt like a complete stranger to him and he knew that deep down that feeling would never go away. "I mean while we were going to Kira's lair he could have controlled me at any point in time! We could have just been walking down the street innocently then the next moment I may have been filling your body with bullets!"

"The only thing that Kira did was give you directions and a story, while he used his Fleshlings to simply hurry you along. Besides, it was impossible for him to make you kill someone with the notebook." Matt sighed and Mello just sniggered, wondering how the idiot could be so nonchalant about the situation.

"Don't forget about the hallucinations." Yes, the hallucinations. That was the only theory that they could come up with as to why the blonde had perceived the gamer's eyes as red in the darkness. "With or without orders, I could have popped a bullet in your head for that alone."

"But you didn't." Matt stopped walking and Mello followed his example. "And even if he had written orders in his notebook for you to simply harm me, I don't think you would have." Mihael opened his mouth to complain but the red head cut him off by pushing him against the wall. "When you knocked me unconscious you didn't kill me, even though I had just tried to kill you. I know you, Mello, far better than you even know yourself. If I had been anyone else I would not be here right now for the stunt I pulled."

Mello flushed and looked away from the red head, unsure of how to respond to the idiot. "...I just didn't want to get blood over me..."

"..." Matt took hold of the blonde's chin and pulled his face back to look at him. He connected their lips without hesitation, his cigarette falling onto the floor, already forgotten. Mello melted immediately as he always did at the feeling of this man's mouth, all ire disappearing in a moment. His body still craved this idiot, and somewhere deep inside of his chest he knew that he was in love with this imbecile. What he could not tell was where the emotion originated from; was it a remanent of the man who had existed before, or was it a feeling created from his own emotions...Perhaps it was both.

The man pulled away before the kiss could escalate further, or maybe he was just weary of the camera's gaze...unless this was another one of his camera blind spots. "Matt...I don't want to know anything about my past...I don't want to know when we met or where it was...Those memories belong to someone else."

"I know." Matt smiled up at him and the red head pulled his goggles down so that he could look him in the eye. "But no matter what, I will never leave your side, Mihael. I don't care if you're M or if you're Mello. I know what it is like to live without you, and I know that I would rather die than go through that again."

"...You are a fool...A loyal little fool..." His voice was a whisper, but it still caused Mail to laugh.

"Only in comparison to you."

Mello leaned forward and kissed the man, feeling the magnetic pull of his body as he did so. He refused to think about what Kira had done to him in his year of forgotten confinement. He had only been told that he had not had his deforming scar prior to his time spent with Kira. What had he done to make his body feel so repulsed by that nightmarish kiss? No, he didn't want to know. And neither did he want to know why his body possessed such a craving for this stranger before him. That was all someone else.

Yet even if this man would always seem a stranger to him, he knew that he could never leave him. It wasn't because of their history and it wasn't because of his body's longing for his touch. It was because of this man...

As stupid as a rock, as annoying as an insect, and as loyal as a canine. He had risked the end of humanity for the slim chance that they would both survive. They were complete opposites and part of him hated the idiot. Yet he loved him, and he could not face this brave new world without him by his side.

The world would rebuild. The wounds would heal. The scars would be forgotten.

"...I still want to punch Light in the face..." Matt laughed at the comment and they pulled each other apart. They walked for a while, little idea as to where they were headed until they reached the open doorway. A gentle breeze blew through and they stepped outside into the darkness of night. The spotlights no longer lit the landscape, and they relied on the light of the moon and stars to guide them.

They walked across the bridge to the earth, knowing that monsters no longer lurked amongst the shadows. Together they sat on an old metal bench that sat on the side of the once bustling street. Phantom figures ran around them; ghosts of children, of women carrying bundles of groceries and of men laughing at their own small insecurities. They almost heard the honk of car horns and the sound of engines in the cold winter night. The air was crisp against their skin and the shadows came and went of their own accord.

Yet they were alone in the rubble of the old world, amongst the people who had died long ago to a hand whom had sought only justice.

The world would never be the same...but humans would persevere. They did not need fangs or claws to survive, for they had their wits and they had their will. The brave new world _would_ be built, and when that day came Mello knew that they would still be by each other's side.

They would survive, and they would do it together.

The End


End file.
